ABetterABK announces strike, opens GoFundMe

ABetterABK has continued to fight not only for improved working conditions at not only Activision Blizzard, but across the video game industry. The group has exposed instances of mistreatment, and laid out demands to create a more welcoming and inclusive work environment moving forward. Now, ABetterABK is taking its movement a step further, as the organization has officially announced a strike and opened a strike fund.

ABetterABK announced its strike in a post to its Twitter account earlier today. Several workers at Acti-Blizz will participate in a strike until the group’s demands are met. In addition, ABetterABK calls on others from around the gaming industry to stand with them in solidarity. With the announcement, the group also started a strike fund on GoFundMe, to help recoup any losses due to the strike. The GoFundMe features a letter from organizer Jessica Gonzalez.

In June 2020, an article was published which highlighted the abuse, harassment and discrimination that occurred within Activision-Blizzard's offices. Since then, Activision-Blizzard leaders have continually abused, union-busted, and remained apathetic to the wishes of workers.

In the months since, we've seen CEO Bobby Kotick and the Board of Directors protect abusers and only hold perpetrators accountable after the events were brought to light by outside media. We've seen Activision hire law firm WilmerHale, known for union busting, to disrupt and impede the improvement efforts of Activision-Blizzard workers. We've seen Raven Software workers lured by the promise of promotion, only to be terminated shortly after relocation on top of the already underappreciated and severely underpaid working conditions of ABK workers across the company. These, and many other events have caused an alliance of Activision-Blizzard employees to initiate a work stoppage until demands are met and worker representation is finally given a place within the company.

After everything, the Board of Directors still claims to remain confident in Kotick's unfit and unproductive leadership. The Board of Directors includes: Reveta Bowers, Robert Corti, Hendrik Hartong III, Brian Kelly, Bobby Kotick, Barry Meyer, Robert Morgado, Peter Nolan, Dawn Ostroff, Casey Wasserman.

Although Jessica Gonzalez recently left Activision Blizzard, she’s still the head of ABetterABK and is fighting for change at the studio and around the industry. We’ll continue to provide future updates for this story here on Shacknews.