Activision Breaks Its Silence On Employee Strike
The shady side of Activision Blizzard has been out in the open as of late. The company has been under fire for several months as lawsuits piled up following allegations of sexual harassment and toxic workplace culture. Even the United States government had the company in its crosshairs to determined whether or not investors were aware of these internal issues. This period of unrest also included a number of employee protests and walkouts, one of which resulted from Activision Blizzard's shocking decision to lay off 30% of the quality assurance team at Raven Software.
The layoffs came after months of quality assurance contractors asking for raises and being told that they were coming. In the time since the layoffs and subsequent strike from Raven Software employees, "Call of Duty: Warzone" has seen another drop in quality. The game has run into issues like a character skin that turns players invisible, a problem that might have been caught by QA testers. The striking employees continue to demand that all Raven Software employees be retained and given a raise.
Over a month after the layoffs, Activision Blizzard has finally spoken out about its actions, pointing out a few things the company offered to the employees who were let go.
Activision Blizzard's response may not be what employees were hoping for
After publishing an article about Raven Software employees claiming to have not heard back from the parent company, Gamesindustry.biz received a statement from Activision Blizzard regarding the strike. In its statement, Activision Blizzard said that management at Raven Software was speaking to employees to "hear concerns and explain the company's overall investment in development resources," referencing Activision Blizzard's plan to convert over 500 temporary workers to full-time staff.
The statement went on to say that Activision Blizzard had indeed laid off 12 QA workers, but had also given them "extended notice period." According to Activision Blizzard, the company also offered to help the QA contractors relocate if they needed to, because employees were asked to move to Wisconsin prior to the layoffs.
Some took to Twitter to discuss the strike and what to do from the outside. One user called for people to stop buying any Activision Blizzard games and DLC, while others begged for Raven Software to get the respect it deserves. Activision's response was joked about as well, with one user using a gif of Jim Carrey covering his ears.
The response from Activision Blizzard wasn't quite what employees wanted, and it may not be surprising to see many continue to strike.