Back in 2022, QA workers at Raven Software became the first major video game union at a major AAA company, helping to pave the way for more. Now, after nearly three years of bargaining, the workers at Raven Software have unanimously voted to ratify their first union contract between Game Workers Alliance-CWA (GWA-CWA) members and Microsoft.

In 2022, Raven Software workers became the first unit at Activision Blizzard to form a union.

Now, they’ve secured a first contract ensuring wage increases and the elimination of mandatory crunch. #unionstrong https://t.co/h3qAQRvARF

— CODE-CWA (@CODE_CWA) August 4, 2025

“After more than three years of organizing and bargaining, seeing it finally pay off feels incredible,” said Erin Hall, QA tester at Raven Software and member of the bargaining committee. “From day one, we made it a priority to include every voice in the room, and the contract we came out with reflects what we need—better pay, real career paths, and protection from burnout. It’s a contract that actually values the work QA does. I’m proud of what we accomplished, and I hope it shows other game workers that organizing works—and it’s worth it.”

“Going from organizing to sitting across the table from one of the largest tech corporations in the world was a huge learning curve, but we never lost sight of why we were there,” said Autumn Prazuch, QA tester at Raven Software and bargaining committee member. “We fought hard for raises and job structures that will finally make QA a sustainable career path, and we were able to negotiate limitations on mandatory crunch. Ratifying this contract is a win for game workers everywhere who are ready to take the first step toward a better future.”

Today, workers at Raven Software unanimously voted to ratify their first union contract!

The contract builds on the recent organizing momentum by Microsoft video game workers organizing with CWA to raise standards across the video game industry! https://t.co/4lDiDDQ8nJ

— CWA (@CWAUnion) August 4, 2025

The two big protections that came out of this contract include a 10 % wage increase over two years with additional raises awarded through merit and promotions. This comes after going 18 months without wage increases and 45 months without promotions. The second protection is the elimination of crunch time which is unfortunately one of the major issues in the video game industry. Now, Raven workers will get seven days’ notice 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.

Additional protections that are part of the contract include the 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.

“This contract between CWA members and Microsoft is proof that when video game workers organize, they can win lasting changes in the workplace,” said CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton. “By reaching an agreement with Microsoft that puts limits on excessive sustained overtime, also known as crunch, these members are tackling one of the most exploitative practices in the industry and setting new standards for quality assurance testers and video game workers overall. We are pleased to welcome these members into the CWA District 4 family.”