Raven Software QA workers ratify union contract with Microsoft — securing better pay and the “elimination of crunch time”

Raven Software Quality Assurance (QA) team initiated their organization in January 2022, well before Activision Blizzard King was bought by Microsoft. Initially, they encountered opposition but eventually decided to unionize in May 2022.

In the same year as its acquisition bid, Microsoft pledged to stay impartial regarding any employee unionization efforts. This decision encouraged numerous teams and studios within its gaming division to unionize over the past couple of years.

Teams from Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax Online Studios, ZeniMax Media QA, Activision’s User Research team, Blizzard Entertainment developers working on Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft, and many others have also organized themselves.

Raven Software QA workers are the second group to approve a contract with Microsoft, following the QA testers at ZeniMax Workers United who finalized their contract in June.

Battlefield 6 fans decry its lack of a server browser, but its producer says “I think what we have caters to the majority” — here’s why players aren’t satisfied

Absolutely, this upcoming game shows great promise as a comeback for Battlefield, particularly following the letdown of Battlefield 2042. Players are eagerly anticipating the reintroduction of soldier classes, intricate map transformations through destructible environments, and many other exciting features.

The Battlefield 6 Open Beta is live to preload now — here’s how to download on Xbox, Steam, and more ahead of Early Access and its release dates

The upcoming Battlefield game is set to debut on October 10, featuring enhanced core systems such as classes and destructible maps. There’s a high likelihood that it will reestablish the series in the spotlight. Prior to its official launch, players can experience it firsthand during Open Beta tests – beta builds that are currently available for preload.

Battlefield 6 has a mountain of hype — and this data shows it might have a chance at seriously denting Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 this year

In response to the somewhat lackluster reception of Battlefield 2042, DICE and EA have decided to revisit their design plans for Battlefield 6, focusing more on elements that made the series popular initially. This includes a renewed emphasis on a class-based system, a shift towards realistic contemporary warfare with extensively destructible environments, and a commitment to creating grounded and immersive skins – an aspect that seems to be particularly significant.