In a first for a large US video game studio, Activision Blizzard employees have voted on unionization.
Activision Blizzard is currently being acquired by Microsoft. Prior to the deal being announced, however, the company was rocked with accusations of sexual harassment and discrimination. In view of its past, it’s little wonder employees are looking to unionize, with CBS News reporting employees have cast their votes and are waiting for the results.
It doesn’t appear the effort encompasses all employees, but is focused on a small group of QA testers in the company’s Raven Software division. Activision Blizzard was critical of the scope of the vote, as the company had wanted it to include a wider range of Raven employees. Had it been successful, the number of votes in favor of unionization would likely have been diluted by a larger pool of potential voters.
“We believe that an important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 employees should not be made by fewer than 10% of Raven employees,” the company said.
