Activision Blizzard has informed its staff that all of its QA testers working on Warzone will be promoted to full-time employees with a pay raise, after Warzone workers went on strike in December 2021.
Originally reported on December 4, 2021, Warzone QA workers were promised higher pay “During months”but instead, “valuable members” were fired from the company. About 40 QA testers then went on strike in the hope of seeing change and compensation for those who lost their jobs.
The company had remained silent, the only news being the takeover of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft.
However, on April 7, 2022, AB recognizes the work of these people and revealed that its approximately 1,100 quality assurance testers will now be full-time employees, with higher pay, bonus opportunities and benefits.
NEW: Activision Blizzard just told staff that all of its 1,100 quality assurance testers will be 1) converted from contract to full-time and 2) bumped up to at least $20/hour. A big win for QA in the wake of several worker revolts and a burgeoning union effort. Story soon
—Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 7, 2022
Activision Blizzard gives QA testers a pay raise
In an official statement issued, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson said: “We have ambitious plans for the future and our Quality Assurance (QA) team members are a vital part of our development efforts.”
In recognition of their hard work and the key role they play, they will increase “the minimum hourly rate for these team members [travailleurs QA] at $20 an hour or more, starting April 17.”
In addition, all these workers will be transformed into “permanent full-time employees” from July 1.
QA testers are responsible for reporting bugs and other issues encountered in-game, among other things.
While some speculate that Microsoft played a role in this case, it has been confirmed that this was not the case.
Jason Schreier said: “Microsoft is not legally allowed to have anything to do with the company until the acquisition is complete.”
As this transaction is not expected to close until 2023, the company finds it necessary to keep its quality assurance testers on board.