The team becomes the first union at a major U.S. studio
Raven Software quality assurance workers have now officially voted to unionize. The final vote came down 19 for, 3 against.
The vote was held today, over a webcast stream. The group,Game Workers Alliance, marks the first union at a major games studio in North America and one of only a few around, includingVodeo Games staff.
Happy union day! We won!pic.twitter.com/nzJ4A3J3RB
— Game Workers Alliance 💙#WeAreGWA (@WeAreGWA)July 13, 2025
It’s a big move, especially asThe Washington Post reportedthat Activision Blizzard management had been discouraging employees from voting in favor of the union. ABloomberg reportfrom earlier today says that the National Labor Relations Board is preparing an official complaint unless Activision settles. An Activision spokesperson denied the allegations in a statement to Bloomberg.
A long road
It’s been a long road for Raven employees, starting with sudden layoffs at the end of last year. Workers at Raven’s QA department, which works on titles likeCall of Duty: Warzone, held a walkout and eventuallywent on strikecalling for worker representation.
The strike ended when the QA testersformed a union, Game Workers Alliance, under the Communication Workers of America. The union called on Activision Blizzard forofficial recognition.
Activision Blizzard did recently confirm it would be moving many of its U.S. QA workersto full-time positions. But the company alsosaid it would not voluntarily recognizeRaven Software’s QA union, leading to today’s vote.
The publisher has been the subject of acute scrutiny for some time now. A lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing kickstarted aseries of lawsuits and reports.
Microsoft announced earlier this year that itplans to purchase Activision Blizzardfor $68.7 billion. Microsoft toldThe Washington Post earlier this yearthat it would “not stand in the way” of an Activision Blizzard union.
