A bunch of employees of Raven Software walked out in solidarity with the protest of Activision Blizzard. The protest followed from a decision to lay off around dozen of quality assurance staff. These staff had done notable work on the Call of Duty: Warzone.
PROTEST STATEMENT
The statement read that, “These individuals were let go in ‘good standing’, meaning they had not underperformed or committed any fireable offense”. According to the statement, the team was informed “many times” that significant departmental changes were on the way. This is also why no one on the team earned standard promotions or raises since March 2021.
According to the statement, some of these employees recently relocated to Wisconsin without financial support from Raven. This was following “reassurances from the studio that their workload was steady.”
“These personnel cuts come after five weeks of overtime, and before an anticipated end of year crunch. The QA team, which at this point in time mainly works on Call of Duty: Warzone, so far has been reduced by just over 30%.”
“Those participating in this demonstration do so with the continued success of the studio at the forefront of their mind. The Raven QA department is essential to the day-to-day functioning of the studio as a whole. Terminating the contracts of high-performing testers in a time of consistent work and profit puts the health of the studio at risk. Additionally, these actions go directly against the positive culture that Raven has created over the years. The end goal of this walkout is to ensure the continued growth of Raven as a studio and to foster a positive community for everyone who works there.”
Furthermore, Activision Blizzard is facing numerous lawsuits. The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into the company’s handling of a large complaint. This includes accusations of severe sexual harassment and workplace discrimination.
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