Activision Blizzard QA Team Walk Out Over Return To Office Mandate

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Key Takeaways

Back in January, Activision Blizzard issued a return-to-office mandate for QA workers across the company.
Last Friday, the QA department of Eden Prairie, Minnesota organised a walkout in protest of the mandate.
The CWA and QA workers have branded the mandate a “layoff wolf in return-to-office sheep’s clothing”.

Quality and Assurance workers from Activision Blizzard‘s QA department in Eden Prairie, Minnesota have organised and performed a walkout to protest the return-to-office mandate that was announced in January.

With the recent release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 going much better than most expected it to considering how roughly Modern Warfare 3 launched, it should be a time of celebration for Activision Blizzard, especially with how turbulent the last few years have been. While it’s certainly a rare win for the studio, the last year hasn’t exactly been a complete win for Activision Blizzard’s QA team.

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Back in January, Activision Blizzard announced that it was ending its hybrid-work model for members of the Quality and Assurance team in Minneapolis, El Segundo, and Austin. It issued a return-to-office mandate which was a very controversial move considering how many staff members worked from home due to health reasons, leading to it being criticised as a “soft layoff”.

Activision’s QA Staff Walk Out Over Return-To-Office Mandate

Although it’s nearly been a year since that mandate was issued, QA workers have taken action against Activision Blizzard with a recent rally. As reported by Eurogamer, staff at Activision’s QA studio in Eden Prairie, As reported by EurogamerMinnesota walked out in protest of the mandate last Friday and were backed up by the Communications Workers of America (also known as the CWA).

The CWA also uploaded a statement outlining its thoughts on the mandate, noting that staff members are “particularly outraged that Activision is even refusing work-from-home accommodations for workers with ADA-certified medical conditions”. The CWA and QA workers believe that Activision Blizzard is refusing accommodations to force them to quit, calling it a “layoff wolf in return-to-office sheep’s clothing”.

“Despite multiple requests from the Union representing the video-game workers, Activision and Microsoft have been unable to articulate why specifically they are insisting workers must work in the office – even those with serious medical conditions and doctor’s recommendations to work from home.”

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Activision Blizzard released a statement in response to the walkout that claims that it respects employee’s rights and their ability to express their point of view, while noting that it “understands that returning to the office has been an adjustment for some”. According to Activision Blizzard, the mandate remains an “ongoing conversation at the bargaining table”.