Another Activision Blizzard studio files to unionize ahead of Microsoft deal

A third Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) studio has begun a union push, six months before the company expects to be sold to Microsoft.

Fifty-seven animators, designers, engineers, producers and quality assurance workers from the developer Proletariat are forming a union, backed by Communications Workers of America, the union group said in a news release Tuesday. The Boston-based studio has filed for a union representation election with the National Labor Relations Board.

Union discussions began earlier this year, when Activision said it was buying Proletariat, a deal it closed in July. Dustin Yost, a software engineer at Proletariat, said in the release that talks began in effort to protect the studio's culture.

"By forming a union and negotiating a contract, we can make sure that we are able to continue doing our best work and create innovative experiences at the frontier of game development," he said.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2022/12/27/activision-studio-unionize-microsoft-acquisition.html