A union has been established by approximately 600 workers within Activision Publishing’s quality assurance department. With assistance from the Communications Workers of America, the employees concluded their voting process, with the results officially certified on Friday, March 8th.
As a result, Activision Quality Assurance United – CWA emerges as the newest union stemming from Microsoft’s gaming division, and stands as the largest video game union within the United States.
Back in 2022, Microsoft solidified a labor neutrality agreement with the CWA, which simplifies the organization process across the company and its subsidiaries, including Activision Blizzard.
Tom Shelley, a technical requirements specialist and one of the organizers behind Activision Quality Assurance United, discussed in an interview with The Verge how the labor neutrality agreement, coupled with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year, facilitated their efforts to unionize.
“This has been an evolving effort that has materialized over the past few weeks in response to the opportunities we’ve gained to organize freely following the merger,” Shelley explained. “As QA workers, we often find ourselves with the weakest protections and lowest pay in the industry — despite the fact that our work is crucial to the success of the companies we work for and the titles we produce.”
Quality assurance involves testing games to identify bugs and other issues, which are then communicated to other developers for resolution. Given that many QA positions are typically entry-level, the industry has garnered a reputation for undervaluing these roles, underscoring the necessity for labor protections.
Shelley commended Microsoft for voluntarily acknowledging the union and expressed hope that it would encourage further organizing efforts within the company and beyond.
Last year, Microsoft voluntarily recognized a union consisting of 300 QA workers at ZeniMax Online. This move was followed by unions forming at Blizzard Albany and Raven Software. While video game labor unions are gaining momentum, they have encountered challenges amidst widespread layoffs.
In 2023, the CWA filed an unfair labor complaint against Sega, alleging that the company intended to “phase out” temporary employees who were part of the Aegis union formed the previous year. Ultimately, when Sega initiated layoffs, Aegis stated that union negotiations were instrumental in preserving numerous jobs.
