Microsoft reaches agreement with Raven Software quality assurance employees on union contract, ensuring improved wages and eradication of overtime pressure
In a significant development for the gaming industry, QA testers at Raven Software have ratified their first union contract with Microsoft in August 2025. After three years of negotiations, the new contract includes a guaranteed 10% wage increase over two years, eliminates crunch time, and provides a host of other worker protections.
The contract marks a significant win for QA workers, who are among the lowest-paid staff in the gaming industry. The ratification follows a history of labor struggles, including a strike in 2021 at Raven and anti-union efforts by Activision Blizzard before Microsoft's acquisition.
The agreement came after Microsoft agreed to remain neutral on the unionization effort, in contrast to Activision's prior resistance. The new contract includes a clear job description, a fair promotions process, expanded disability protection, and protections around layoffs, including severance, recall rights, COBRA subsidies, and career transition services.
Moreover, the contract limits mandatory overtime, requiring a seven-day notice for overtime, prohibiting excessive back-to-back weeks of overtime, and banning mandatory overtime in most weeks of a quarter. This move is expected to significantly improve the work-life balance for QA testers at Raven Software.
The union contract at Raven Software is part of a broader movement among Microsoft-owned gaming studios to improve working conditions and raise standards for game workers via unionization. While details of contracts at other studios like ZeniMax are not readily available, it is noted that ZeniMax Workers United-CWA recently secured a contract with Microsoft, indicating similar organizing momentum among QA and other workers at Microsoft-owned game studios.
However, the celebration was short-lived as Raven Software recently announced hundreds of layoffs across multiple teams, just a few weeks after the union contract was ratified. The layoffs impact the Xbox division, including parts of Activision Blizzard King, and have led to the cancellation of several games, including Perfect Dark and a new MMORPG from ZeniMax Online Studios.
Despite these setbacks, the union contract at Raven Software is a testament to the continued need for workers in large corporations to unionize for better working conditions, fair wages, and improved job security. As the gaming industry continues to evolve, it is hoped that more studios will follow in Raven Software's footsteps and prioritize the well-being of their workers.
References:
[1] GamesIndustry.biz. (2025, August 1). Raven Software QA testers ratify first union contract with Microsoft. Retrieved from https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2025-08-01-raven-software-qa-testers-ratify-first-union-contract-with-microsoft
[2] Gamespot. (2025, August 1). Raven Software QA testers ratify first union contract with Microsoft. Retrieved from https://www.gamespot.com/articles/raven-software-qa-testers-ratify-first-union-contract-with-microsoft/1100-6491220/
[3] Polygon. (2025, August 1). Raven Software QA testers ratify first union contract with Microsoft. Retrieved from https://www.polygon.com/2025/8/1/22515205/raven-software-qa-testers-ratify-union-contract-microsoft
[4] Ars Technica. (2025, June). ZeniMax Workers United-CWA secures contract with Microsoft. Retrieved from https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/zenimax-workers-united-cwa-secures-contract-with-microsoft/
- The first union contract at Raven Software with Microsoft, concluded in August 2025, guarantees a 10% wage increase over two years and eliminates crunch time, among other benefits for QA testers.
- The contract at Raven Software is part of a broader movement among Microsoft-owned gaming studios to improve working conditions and raise standards for game workers via unionization.
- Despite Microsoft agreeing to remain neutral on the unionization effort, Raven Software recently announced hundreds of layoffs across multiple teams, impacting the Xbox division and leading to the cancellation of several games.
- The union contract at Raven Software is a testament to the continued need for workers in large corporations to unionize for better working conditions, fair wages, and improved job security.
- Similar organizing momentum among QA and other workers at Microsoft-owned game studios is shown through the recent contract secured by ZeniMax Workers United-CWA.
