Nearly 1,100 Activision Blizzard video game testers to receive full-time status, increased pay
Quality assurance workers will receive a minimum of $20 per hour, be eligible for the company's benefits and bonus plan
Nearly 1,100 of Activision Blizzard's U.S.-based temporary and contingent quality assurance (QA) workers who test the company's video games will be given full-time status starting July 1. The move will increase Activision Publishing's total full-time staff by 25%.
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In addition, QA workers will receive an increased minimum hourly pay rate of $20 per hour starting April 17. QA employees will be eligible to participate in the company's bonus plan and have access to full company benefits.
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"Across Activision Blizzard, we are bringing more content to players across our franchises than ever before," an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement. "As a result, we are refining how our teams work together to develop our games and deliver the best possible experiences for our players. We have ambitious plans for the future and our Quality Assurance (QA) team members are a critical part of our development efforts."
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In an email to staff reviewed by FOX Business, Activision Publishing Chief Operating Officer Josh Taub noted that the company has increased its live services business across platforms in response to increased engagement from Call of Duty players over the last two years.
"As Call of Duty evolves, we anticipate periods where the workload will fluctuate and exceed our expanded team’s bandwidth. With this in mind, we’re adding extra support for our team from external partners," Taub said. "This is a long-standing studio and industry practice that will give us more flexibility and capacity to support the business needs and enable our internal teams to focus on the results that most impact our business."
Blizzard Entertainment President Mike Ybarra added in a separate email that the move is "just the beginning of our renewed focus in putting our teams and players at the forefront of everything we do."
"Our ability to deliver great games at the "Blizzard quality" level our players expect is vital to ensuring we exceed player expectations," he said.
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The changes come after nearly 500 temporary and contingent workers were converted to permanent full-time employees at Activision Publishing’s studios last year. The initial conversions came following news in December that Activision would be laying off QA contractors at its Raven Software studio, which triggered a protest strike and a unionizing effort referred to as the Game Workers Alliance.
"We've been organizing for this & so much more—for all of us," the Game Workers Alliance tweeted Thursday evening. "Today proves our collective organizing efforts work & WE WON'T STOP."
Despite the victory, the GWA says that Raven Software QA workers would not be included in the company-wide wage increase.
"It is unsurprising, but nevertheless disappointing that Activision has chosen to exclude Raven Software QA workers, who have been at the forefront demanding better pay & benefits, from the company-wide wage increase," the GWA said. "The company's assertion that the NLRA prevents @Activision from including Raven QA workers is simply a ploy to punish us for choosing to stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow workers as @WeAreGWA."
The GWA is urging Activsion Blizzard to rectify the situation and respect their protected right to organize.
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Beyond its troubles with contractors, Activision Blizzard has been dealing with the fallout from sexual harassment and discrimination allegations in a lawsuit filed by California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing and union busting and retaliation accusations in a National Labor Relations Board complaint by a group of workers known as ABetterABK.
Several hundred Activision Blizzard employees stage a walkout which they say is in a response from company leadership to a lawsuit highlighting alleged harassment, inequality, and more within the company outside the gate at Activision Blizzard headqu (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also faced ire from employees and shareholders after The Wall Street Journal reported that he withheld his knowledge about the allegations from the company's board for years.
Robert "Bobby" Kotick, chief executive officer of Activision Blizzard Inc., smiles during the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., on Monday, May 2, 2016. ( Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In addition, a judge recently approved an $18 million settlement to resolve similar allegations of gender-based harassment and retaliation from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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In December, Microsoft announced plans to buy Activision in a deal worth $68.7 billion. The deal is expected to close in fiscal year 2023. Once the deal closes, the unit will fall under Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer.