On Thursday, Activision Blizzard developers from employee collective ABK Workers Alliance (and at least one dog) gathered outside the gates of Blizzard Entertainment’s Irvine, California campus. Many raised a fist as a show of worker solidarity; others clutched signs reading “end gender inequality,” “human rights are not a game,” and more pointedly, “game unions now.” Hundreds more gathered across four states and participated online in the latest of several walkouts.

Organizers timed this week’s demonstration to mark a full year since the state of California filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard alleging widespread harassment and discrimination within the company. Some workers say there have been few meaningful changes from management during that time. But the culture outside of Activision Blizzard has shifted, making the company’s blasé handling of its united workers feel increasingly dated.

According to the National Labor Relations Board, from October 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, the number of petitions filed for union representation has increased 58 percent. In games, union shops are only growing. Indie studio Tender Claws announced its own union today with the Communications Workers of America. Activision Blizzard is now the home of one of the game industry’s first AAA unions, after quality assurance workers at Call of Duty maker Raven Software successfully won recognition via election. A second, separate unit of quality assurance workers at Blizzard Albany, formerly known as Vicarious Visions, is now seeking recognition. “We are firm believers in the fact that a seat at the negotiating table will give us power to advance the workplace, to make the environment safer, to give us fair and equal conversation and voices in how the company is run,” associate test analyst Matthew Devlin tells WIRED.

That unit, which calls itself GWA Albany, is hoping that Activision Blizzard will voluntarily recognize their union, Devlin says—a path the company didn’t take with Raven Software. “We have a super majority,” he says, referring to the numbers needed to win an NLRB election for recognition. “For them to deny us and not recognize us would be a foolish action on their part.” When asked about  the company’s plans to recognize the union, Activision Blizzard spokesperson Rich George said “our top priority remains our employees.” 

“We deeply respect the rights of all employees under the law to make their own decisions about whether or not to join a union,” he said in a statement. “We believe that a direct relationship between the company and its employees is the most productive relationship.” 

Raven’s unit has provided a glimpse into how future unions within the company might function. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick told employees that the company will come to the bargaining table—a legal requirement—following their successful election. Those workers are currently “going through the democratic process, electing their bargaining committee” before they meet with leadership, CODE-CWA organizer and former Activision Blizzard worker Jessica Gonzalez says.

Across the country, hundreds of Activision Blizzard employees in California, Texas, Minnesota, and New York are hoping to win more than just union recognition. The July 21 walkout was, in part, a response to more troubling changes happening nationally. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, companies across the industry have loudly proclaimed their support for the right to abortion and other important health services, like gender-affirming care. Some employees at Activision Blizzard don’t believe the company has done enough to offer support in the wake of that news. As part of its End Gender Inequality walkout this week, workers demanded protection for employees “from external threats like the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade,” as well as “safe and affordable healthcare policies that adequately protect workers and give them legal access to life-saving procedures like abortions and trans-affirming healthcare.”

“We need to make sure that we’re protecting people physically and mentally,” Gonzalez says. It’s another part of holding the company accountable. “What about your employees who have health concerns? What about your employees who have their civil rights taken away?” 

Activision Blizzard spokesperson Kelvin Liu previously told WIRED that “maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for all is a top priority for Activision Blizzard and includes supporting the physical and mental well-being of everyone who works here, including their dependents.” The company announced expanded travel benefits for US employees, “where access to medical care, including reproductive health, gender-affirming treatment, transplant care, and any other medical care covered by our plans that is not available in a covered person’s state, or within 100 miles of where they live.”

In response to the most recent walkout, George said that Activision Blizzard’s leadership “remains focused on ensuring we are the very best place to work. This includes ensuring gender equity throughout the company and comprehensive access to reproductive and other healthcare services for every employee.”

Workers are still seeking a legal commitment to neutrality, which gives them the right to unionize freely and without fear of retaliation. Microsoft—which has until next year to close its acquisition of Activision Blizzard—has already formed a labor neutrality agreement with the CWA. Xbox head Phil Spencer also told employees he would recognize the Raven union. Whether Activision Blizzard voluntarily recognizes the budding union at Blizzard Albany or waits until an inevitable vote will speak to how much the company intends to drag its feet.

Gonzalez, one of ABK’s early organizers and an advocate for unions before her departure from the company, is hopeful about the progress made. Workers are still showing up in the hundreds in a show of strength; Irvine mayor Farrah N. Khan made an appearance at the demonstration yesterday. 

“It wasn’t for nothing,” Gonzalez says, pointing to victories like Raven’s union. “It’s been a fruitful year. But I will say the only reason we’ve seen so much progress made is due to the work of the organizers and the workers. Those are the people making sure that there’s accountability. There’s no accountability from leadership side.”