Activision developer wins years-long battle against Microsoft after layoffs

Microsoft has agreed to the demands set forth by Raven Software, a video game studio and subsidiary under Activision Blizzard, which is owned by Microsoft. The years-long debate between the developers and Microsoft has ended in a unanimous vote to ratify the first union contract between members of the studio's union and Microsoft.

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The discussions between the two parties have been taking place over the past three years and have now resulted in Communication Workers of America (CWA) testers receiving a guaranteed 10% wage increase over two years, with other benefits such as a seven-day notice before any mandatory overtime is implemented, disability protection, a fair promotion process, and, probably most importantly considering the current climate at Microsoft, layoff protections.

Notably, Raven Software's quality assurance testers will be receiving these benefits, and for those who don't know, Raven Software assisted in the development of Call of Duty: Warzone, along with multiple single-player campaigns for Call of Duty, such as Black Ops 6 and the upcoming Black Ops 7. These new protections for employees come after Microsoft decided to layoff thousands of employees across its various companies under its extensive umbrella, with many of those companies impacted by the layoffs being under its Microsoft Gaming arm, and by extension, Activision Blizzard.

New Guarantees

• A guaranteed 10-percent wage increase over two years with additional raises through merit and promotions, after going 18 months without wage increases and 45 months without promotions;
• The elimination of crunch time, with seven days' notice required for mandatory overtime, no excessive overtime on back-to-back weeks, flexible scheduling of overtime, and no mandatory overtime of any duration for the majority of weeks in a quarter;
• Bridging of time worked as a temporary or contract employee, defined job descriptions and a fair promotions process, expanded disability accommodations, and layoff protections including severance, recall rights, generous COBRA subsidies, and career transition services.