Microsoft had to back down. After 3 years of struggle, Call of Duty devs finally achieved their goal
Employees of Raven Software have voted down a deal with Microsoft that guarantees, among other things, raises. The unions achieved their goals after more than three years of negotiations.
Employees of Raven Software studio (a subsidiary of Activision) have something to celebrate today. After over three years of fighting, they finally managed to pass the first union agreement with Microsoft, which guarantees, among other things, the elimination of crunch, meaning no more overtime work.
A group of 19 quality testers from Raven Software, which is currently co-developing Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, managed to achieve their set goals. The agreement should ensure at least a 10% salary increase over two years, regulation of overtime, clear job responsibilities, and a fair promotion process.
After more than three years of organizing and bargaining, seeing it finally pay off feels incredible. 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, said Erin Hall, a QA tester at Raven Software and a member of the negotiating committee.
The victorious trade union was established in 2022 and became the first organization of this type at Activision. Over a year ago, a twin association called Activision Quality Assurance United was formed within Microsoft, bringing together around 600 people.
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Author: Maciej Gaffke
At Gamepressure.com, he is mainly involved in writing news. Graduated in Polish philology and sightseeing and historical tourism at the University of Gdansk, which is related to his other "non-game" interests - history, books, and travel. As for video games themselves - once a fan of FPS, now converted to action-adventure games. Also interested in fighting games (especially Mortal Kombat), RPGs, and all titles focused on single-player. From time to time, likes to play tennis, volleyball, or football. Proud resident of Pomerania and Puck.
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