Gaming - News
Raven Software Just Made Gaming History
By CHRISTIAN SMITH
Raven Software has managed to distinguish itself not only from the allegedly toxic work environment of its parent, Activision Blizzard, but also from the entire gaming industry. The subsidiary has made history by becoming the first major game studio with an official union.
In the aftermath of shocking layoffs, Raven Software's QA testers formed a coalition called the Game Workers Alliance and had their votes counted by the National Labor Relations Board on May 23. The end result was a landslide in favor of unionizing, allowing the coalition to negotiate a new contract with Activision pertaining to pay, job security, and other benefits.
However, the road to these goals may be a tough one, as relations between Game Workers Alliance and Activision remain tense. Jason Schreier of Bloomberg said in a follow-up tweet to this news, "Based on how Activision has reacted to Raven's union efforts so far, safe to say the coming negotiations will be neither short nor easy."
