Activision responds as Warzone devs continue to strike at Raven Software

Activision has responded as QA developers at Raven Software, the studio currently behind Warzone, continue to strike following a series of layoffs in the QA department.

In December, days before the launch of Warzone Pacific, and the new map Caldera, “the majority of Quality Assurance testers” walked out of the studio. This was in response to a number of QA devs being laid off days before, following promises of better pay. Following the walkout, Activision issued its initial response.

On December 6, they said: “We are converting approximately 500 temporary workers to full-time employees in the coming months. Unfortunately, as part of this change, we also have notified 20 temporary workers across studios that their contracts would not be extended.”

But, the strike continued into the new year, with GI.biz reporting that the QA devs had not had a response from Activision to their singular demand – that all members of the Raven QA team be offered full-time positions, “including those who were let go.”

Their letter to Activision continued, “The downsizing of the Raven QA department without input from anyone within the department is concerning to us and others throughout the company. In the interest of making positive change for Raven, we would like to reach out to leadership to discuss the current situation.”

Activision responds to QA strike

On January 6, an Activision spokesperson said that there had been communication between Raven leadership and staff.

“Activision is deeply committed to the wellbeing of all of our teams, including our QA workforce. Raven leadership has engaged in dialogue with its staff to hear concerns and explain the company’s overall investment in development resources. As previously announced, we are growing our overall investment in development and operations resources and converting nearly 500 temporary workers to full-time employees across our studios, the largest conversion in Activision’s history.

“For the 12 temporary workers at Raven whose agreements were not extended, we provided an extended notice period, included payment for the two-week holiday break, and will be working directly with those that need relocation assistance. Raven is full of people dedicated to improving the culture at Activision, and we look forward to partnering with employees to do that work together.”

As the strike is set to reach almost a month, no total resolution appears to be forthcoming.

• Read More: Activision sues major Warzone cheat provider

Many Warzone developers have returned from their holiday breaks, getting back to working on the game, which is currently plagued by a number of bugs and issues. Not least, players are angry with extremely overpowered shotguns, which the developers have now acknowledged need fixing.

But the complaints are mounting, with some players saying they are refusing to play after a playlist update removed some modes.