Labor Union at Call of Duty Studio Raven Software Files Complaint Against Activision and Microsoft

A group of unionized Call of Duty developers at Raven Software have reportedly filed a complaint against Activision and its owner Microsoft with the National Labor Relations Board. According to Game File video game reporter Stephen Totilo, the complaint, which was filed on Friday, accuses the two companies of “Refusal to Bargain/Bad Faith Bargaining” while the unionized workers are pushing to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the studio.

Back in 2022, a group of Raven Software QA employees formed the Game Workers Alliance with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which became the first union within Activision Blizzard. When Microsoft announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft agreed to remain neutral if any of Activision’s U.S.-based employees wanted to unionize. The company had previously recognized its first-ever U.S.-based union when 300 ZeniMax employees who unionized in January 2023.

“After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would progress quickly to a first contract at Raven Software,” Communication Workers of America (CWA) president Claude Cummings Jr. told Game File. “Unfortunately, that has not happened. We encourage Microsoft to address the concerns raised in the Unfair Labor Practice charge and make reaching a fair agreement a priority,” Cummings added.

Speaking to Game File, a Microsoft spokesperson said that the company is “committed to negotiating in good faith.” Microsoft being the rare Big Tech company to respect its employees’ right to form a union was definitely a source of hope for better labor conditions at Activision Blizzard. However, the unionized Raven Software employees apparently don’t feel that way. And it certainly doesn’t help that Microsoft also laid off 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard, Zenimax, and Xbox earlier this year.

This complaint from unionized Raven Software workers comes just when Microsoft and Activision are about to kick off their big marketing blitz for the next Call of Duty game. A “Call of Duty Next” livestream will actually kick off in a couple of minutes with the latest details about Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, with the early access multiplayer beta to kick off on Thursday, August 30.