Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 developers protest over office working policy

Activision quality assurance staff who worked on the just-released Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 staged a protest against the company’s return-to-work policy.

Staff at Activision’s quality assurance studio in Eden Prarie, Minnesota, were told to return to the office full-time back in January, after years of remote or hybrid working. At the time, the move was criticised by the company’s biggest union as a “soft layoff”. Nine months later, the row over this policy’s effects rumbles on.

Last Friday, Eden Prarie staff members took protest action backed by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which claimed in a statement that Call of Duty publisher Activision was “insisting workers must work in the office – even those with serious medical conditions and doctor’s recommendations to work from home”.

Ahead of the protest, Activision workers group ABetterABK issued a statement saying the “unequal policy” had “unquestionably harmed disabled employees and employees in need of work from home accomodations”, who it claims have been unfairly refused exception from return-to-office work in the months since the policy’s introduction.