More Activision Blizzard Employees File to Unionize

Nearly 60 video game employees at Activision Blizzard said Tuesday they filed for union representation, according to a Bloomberg report.

Workers at Boston-based video game studio Proletariat, which was acquired by Activision Blizzard earlier this year, said they are organizing with the Communications Workers of America to form a union that includes “designers, animators , engineers, producers and quality assurance officers.” If successful, it will be Activision Blizzard’s first union to include employees outside of quality assurance, Bloomberg said. The proletariat’s organizing efforts mark the company’s third organizing push this year, with Organization of Raven Software in January and Blizzard Albany employees voted to unionize earlier this month.

Activision Blizzard employees have continued to organize despite alleged threats from the company, which was charged by the National Labor Relations Board in May with violating the National Labor Relations Act, or NLRA. , which states that it is illegal for employers to interfere with or deter employees. seeking to organize a union.

Efforts to organize video game workers go hand in hand with the Federal Trade Commission trying to stop Microsoft from buying Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, arguing that the merger will hurt competition among video game console makers.

Activision Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.