In December 2021, a seemingly ordinary day sparked a significant shift in the video game industry. Managers at Raven, a studio in Wisconsin, began meeting with quality assurance testers, who ensure video games are free of bugs. They announced a positive change: testers would now be permanent employees, receiving a $1.50 hourly raise.
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However, the catch emerged later that Friday morning: One-third of the studio's 35 testers were being laid off. This news stunned the workers. Raven, owned by Activision Blizzard, a major industry player, seemed to have enough work. Some testers had even worked late nights to meet deadlines.
Erin Hall, one of the remaining testers, recalled receiving a tearful call from a friend who lost her job unexpectedly. The sudden layoffs blindsided everyone.
Over the weekend, the testers discussed their next steps and decided to go on strike. When they returned to work seven weeks later, they filed paperwork to hold a union election. While Raven did not rehire the laid-off workers, the remaining testers successfully formed the first union at a major U.S. video game company in May 2022.
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