In stark juxtaposition to the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the series' biggest hit in years, Activision quality assurance testers who worked on the game are striking in protest of the company's return-to-work mandate. Around 30 employees at Activision's QA studio in Eden Prarie, Minnesota, walked off the job on Friday, managing to attract the attention of local media.
Relayed by Eurogamer, Activision staff were told in January that, regardless of doctor's recommendations or severe medical conditions, they all must return to the office, which workers group ABetterABK described as an "unequal policy." Friday's strike was timed to coincide with the launch of Black Ops 6, which seems to be a particularly strong entry in the long-running series. Speaking to Fox 9, one member of the QA team said: "We work on Call of Duty; we were part of the QA team that worked on Black Ops 6 that just released today. We have worked on Modern Warfare 2, the most profitable game the company ever released - and that was done remotely."