Following the recent announcement of unionization, the ongoing strike protesting the dismissal of Raven Software QA workers has officially ended. The ABK Workers Alliance revealed the news on Twitter today following QA testers voting to unionize last Friday. The new union called the Game Workers Alliance is not officially formed as of yet. They are waiting for recognition from Activision Blizzard’s leadership. As the strike began, a crowdfunding campaign was created to help finance the efforts. The campaign has raised $376,943 as of now. The ABK Workers Alliance said “Please do not misquote here media: we have asked to be recognized under GWA, *pending* refers to pending response from leadership. Either positive or negative. We are acting in good faith and asking for good faith.” They also said that the unused strike funds will be used for future organizing/strike efforts.
The Raven Software strike is just one of many following the announcement of California suing Activision Blizzard over allegations of sexual harassment. Afterwards, another strike ensued following the revelation that current CEO Bobby Kotick was aware of the situation. Recently, Microsoft acquired the company for record $68.7 billion, which is the largest ever in the video game industry.
Following the news of the acquisition, the ABK Worker’s Alliance took to Twitter saying that “the news of Activision’s acquisition is surprising but does not change the goals of the ABK Worker’s Alliance. They said they are committed to fighting for workplace improvements and the rights of its employees regardless who is financially in control of the company. They will also continue to work alongside its allies in the gaming industry to “push for measurable change in an industry that desperately needs it.” Finally, they addressed the fact that 3 out of the 4 original collective demands to improve the conditions of women in the workforce has not been met.