Activision Blizzard Lays Off Quality Assurance Contractors, Will NOT be Part of The Game Awards

Isabella James, Tech Times 06 December 2021, 02:12 am

There seems to be no rest for Activision Blizzard as it continues to deal with ongoing allegations of harassment and mistreatment in its workplace.

The video game company has reportedly laid off at least 12 software quality assurance contractors. More contractors are reportedly expected to be laid off in the coming days.

Activision Blizzard will also not be part of this year's The Game Awards beyond the nominations that "Call of Duty" has received. "Call of Duty" received a nomination for Best Esports Game while "Call of Duty: Warzone" is nominated for the Best Ongoing Game category.

Activision Blizzard Lays Off Quality Assurance Contractors

Activision Blizzard has laid off at least 12 of Raven Software's quality assurance contractors, according to a report by IGN. More contractors can be expected to be laid off in the coming days.

Raven Software is a "Call of Duty" studio. Specifically, the studio worked on last year's "Call of Duty: Warzone" and "Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War."

Per the IGN report, the layoffs are said to be a part of a restructuring effort within the studio. The studio is scheduled to meet up with its contractors from Dec. 3 to 8 to inform them whether they will be laid off or promoted by Jan. 28.

Raven Software's associate community manager, Austin O'Brien, has expressed his feelings over the situation, according to IGN. O'Brien said that "these people were asked to relocate to Madison, WI to work here. Now they are out of a job on January 28th."

Activision Blizzard Will Not be Part of The Game Awards 2021

Beyond its nominations, I can confirm that Activision|Blizzard will not be a part of this year’s #TheGameAwards
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 4, 2021

In other Activision Blizzard news, The Game Awards 2021 host Geoff Keighley has announced that the company will not be part of this year's The Game Awards beyond the two nominations that "Call of Duty" has received.

Specifically, "Call of Duty" has been nominated for Best Esports Game. The other nominees in the category are "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive," "Dota 2," "League of Legends," and "Valorant."

"Call of Duty: Warzone," on the other hand, received a nomination for Best Ongoing Game. It joins the other nominees for the category, which include "Apex Legends," "Final Fantasy XIV Online," "Fortnite," and "Genshin Impact."

In a thread posted on his Twitter account, Keighley said "#TheGameAwards is a time of celebration for this industry, the biggest form of entertainment in the world."

"There is no place for abuse, harassment or predatory practices in any company or any community," he added.

In succeeding tweets, Keighley emphasized that the video game industry must work together to build a better environment that will make everyone feel safe.

Tech Times has previously reported on the complete list of nominees for The Game Awards 2021. The Game Awards will be held on Dec. 9.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isabella James