Blizzard Entertainment employees reportedly organizing to request better pay
As revenue soars, employees are gathering to request better pay.
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What you need to know
Recently,we reportedthat developers at Blizzard Entertainment were discussing their salaries and noticing discrepancies. Now, it appears these employees are taking action.
According toBloomberg, Blizzard Entertainment developers are organizing a list of requests they intend to bring before management. These requests include changes to how promotions are given, more vacation time and better pay for quality assurance (QA) testers.
Bloomberg’s report also states that many Blizzard developers are leaving for other studios, such as Riot Games. “Our mentors are leaving in droves,” the list notes. Blizzard reportedly pays less than many other studios, with some Blizzard employees paid less than $40,000 annually. Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick received $40 million in compensation for 2019.
Dustin Blackwell, a spokesman for Blizzard, told Bloomberg that “We understand that some Blizzard employees have specific requests, and we look forward to hearing from them directly.” Per Bloomberg, employees are planning to present this list sometime over the next week.
Per Activision-Blizzard’s recentQ2 financial earnings report, Activision revenue for the quarter grew to $1.93 billion, above the expected $1.69 billion. With big games announced at BlizzCon 2019 likeOverwatch 2andDiablo 4, we’ll have to wait and see what comes of the efforts of these employees.
For Activision Blizzard as a whole, several high-profile games are expected later in 2020, with a new Call of Duty title being developed by Treyarch and Raven Software coming in the holiday period. Meanwhile,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2is set to arrive in September, whileCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timereleases in October.
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Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
