Quality assurance testers at Activision Publishing have voted to authorize a strike, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) announced on October 15. The vote does not start a walkout, but it gives CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. the power to call one if contract talks stay stuck. It lands on the eve of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s early access on October 16, a week before the game’s worldwide launch on October 23.
Activision says it has made “meaningful progress,” has offered to meet again on October 21 and 22, and has plans in place so players and upcoming releases are not affected.
Modern Warfare 4's Campaign Early Access starts October 16, the day after the strike authorization vote. Image: Activision
Table of Contents
Who voted to authorize a strike
The workers belong to Activision Quality Assurance United-CWA (AQAU-CWA), represented by CWA Locals 6215, 7250 and 9400. The union says the testers voted “overwhelmingly” in favor; it did not publish a vote count or percentage. The day before the result, members held an action outside Activision Publishing’s building in Bloomington, Minnesota.
The unit was about 600 testers in California, Texas and Minnesota when it formed in March 2024. According to Kotaku, it is now just over 400 people after cuts since then, and it includes testers preparing Modern Warfare 4 for launch. Across Activision Blizzard, CWA says it represents nearly 2,500 workers.
What the union says the dispute is about
Bargaining for a first contract began in August 2024 and has run for more than two years. The union accuses Activision of failing to bargain in good faith on four issues: wage increases, guardrails on the use of AI, the company’s use of contractors, and workers’ right to seek accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Bargaining has been a long, exhausting process spanning over two years, with our committee making responsible moves while the company continues to stall on critical issues like wages, accommodations, and worker protections,” bargaining committee member and QA functional tester Emily Danko said in the CWA release.
Fellow committee member Jenna Huffman said Activision is “not the high-road, union-neutral employer they once committed themselves to be.” CWA District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister added that the vote tells management “it is time to stop playing games.”
Danko said in comments reported by Kotaku that AI is a central concern, since QA is often named as a job generative AI tools could automate: “QA is more than checking boxes. It requires human judgment, contextual understanding, and the ability to recognize problems that automated systems may miss.”
Activision’s response
In a statement to Kotaku, an Activision spokesperson said: “Activision has been working in good faith with the CWA for the Central QA team and we have made meaningful progress on a number of issues. Our goal is a fair first contract that supports our QA team members and the long-term success of the business.”
The company said it remains “committed to open dialogue with the union,” has offered dates on October 21 and 22, and respects “our employees’ right to engage in protected activity, including the right to strike.” It added: “We have plans in place to ensure there is no disruption to players or upcoming game releases.”
Activision says it has plans in place so a strike would not disrupt players or upcoming releases. Image: Activision
Strike authorization vs an actual strike
A strike authorization is a mandate, not a walkout. It clears the final internal hurdle so the union can call a strike at any time, and it is often used as leverage at the table. No strike date has been announced, and the next bargaining dates Activision has offered fall between MW4’s early access and its October 23 launch.
For players, the timing matters more after launch than before it. Big releases lean on QA teams for the patches and live-service updates that follow day one, which is when a stoppage could be felt.
How Activision’s QA unions got here
QA testers led unionization at Activision. In May 2022, testers at Raven Software, who mainly work on Call of Duty, won their union election with 86% of the vote after a five-week strike over layoffs. After Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard, a labor neutrality agreement with CWA took effect, and in March 2024 the Activision QA unit became the first group to organize at Activision under it, then the largest union at any US game studio. Kotaku reports that the neutrality agreement expired last fall, and Huffman says the company has since become “significantly bolder” at the table.
What’s next
Watch the October 21-22 dates Activision has offered. If they produce progress, the authorization may stay unused; if not, the union can call a strike during MW4’s launch window. The vote also comes as Activision rethinks the series, with its marketing chief recently confirming a new Call of Duty sub-franchise is in the works.
Sources: CWA, Kotaku, CWA (March 2024), CWA (May 2022).
Live: Follow today’s gaming news as it happens
Featured image: Activision
