The Microsoft x Activision Blizzard saga has entered a new phase, and it looks to be a good one.
Activision Blizzard logo displayed on a laptop screen and Microsoft logo displayed on a phone screen are seen this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on January 18, 2022.
According to a report by IGN, the Big Tech giant has mentioned that they're not going to block any unionization attempts being made at ActiBlizz, should the union be recognized. This statement was made by Lisa Tanzi, who serves as Microsoft's corporate VP and general counsel.
She made the claims in the wake of rumors saying that unions could happen before the massive $68.7 billion deal to acquire the embattled game developer/publisher closes in 2023. As per Tanzi, Microsoft "respects" the rights of Activision Blizzard employees to choose whether they want to be represented by a labor organization.
These claims can be considered good news by those who have been increasingly pushing for the recognition of an official Activision Blizzard union.
Back in January, 34 employees of subsidiary Raven Software (most of them quality assurance testers who worked on "Call of Duty: Warzone") asked Activision Blizzard to recognize their labor union. This was a response to allegations that the company forces workers to undergo excessive overtime with little pay, as well as recent layoffs.
But as reported by The Washington Post, ActiBlizz didn't respond to the request in time. In an official statement, the company only mentioned that "the parties could not reach an agreement," which led the Raven workers to go to the National Labor Relations Board to file for a union election.
Microsoft's statements also follow an instance wherein Raven Software employees directly wrote to CEO Satya Nadella, asking him for help on encouraging Activision Blizzard to recognize the newly established Game Workers Alliance union.
According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, the proposed Activision Blizzard union is the first of its kind in the AAA video game industry in North America, claiming the distinction in this tweet:
BREAKING: Testers at Raven Software, a division of Activision, say they've formed a union and are asking for voluntary recognition. The 34-person unit is the first-ever union in the big-budget video game industry. Filed to Bloomberg Terminal, story coming shortly.
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) January 21, 2022
Read Also: FTC Peeks Into Microsoft's $68.7 B Acquisition of Activision, Asks for 'Additional Information'
How ActiBlizz Employees See Microsoft So Far After The Deal
ActiBlizz workers are hopeful about being bought out by Microsoft. There's that. Maybe it's the potential change in leadership (headlined by controversial CEO Bobby Kotick), or the fact that the alleged "frat boy" culture will be ending under Microsoft's wing that's giving them hope.
Nevertheless, some ActiBlizz developers have gone online to say that company culture under Kotick was never really positive-and that Kotick's apparent antics have been the cause of numerous projects getting delayed for no good reason.
"Overwatch 2" producer Tracy Kennedy went to Twitter to reveal that the CEO apparently had a habit of "pushing random projects" and then canceling them, costing development teams several months' worth of work:
Bobby, tell everyone about the random projects for OW1 you all would shove on us, the team would do OT for only them to get cancelled and for months of OW2 dev to have been lost. Or how almost entire teams are turning over and citing you as the reason. Don't be shy. https://t.co/3ksVMMaCwf
— Tracy Kennedy (@JustLavaliere) January 19, 2022
For now, ActiBlizz employees are strongly hoping that a change in the executive scenery will finally make things good again. But that is until the deal with Microsoft pushes through-if it even gets approved at all. That is because the FTC has recently requested "more information" about the deal, as reported by GeekWire.
Only time will tell.
Related Article: Activision Blizzard Shareholders: Not Happy with Microsoft's Acquisition-Not In the Best Interest, Files Lawsuit
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Written by RJ Pierce
