Activision Blizzard King Hit With Unfair Labor Practices Complaint

The Communications Workers of America has filed unfair labor practice charges against Activision, alleging "worker intimidation and union busting" from the developer, which also counts Blizzard and King under its corporate umbrella. The CWA's press release called out the "groundbreaking walkout" by workers "to draw attention to the disturbing working conditions in the gaming industry," which Activision responded to by "using coercive tactics to attempt to prevent its employees from exercising their rights to stand together and demand a more equitable, sustainable, and diverse workplace."

The unfair labor practices charges will now go to the National Labor Relations Board. A regional director will decide whether to file a formal complaint against the company, a decision that usually happens within 30 days.

In other news regarding the issues facing Blizzard, Overwatch hero Jesse McCree -- named after one of the former employees implicated in the company's recent troubles -- is due for a renaming. That's been known for a while, but the time frame for his rechristening is still up in the air.

In response to a question posed on Reddit, Community Manager Andy B said that the name change was a "pretty complicated project, including (and not limited to), voice lines, localization, UI/UX elements, art assets, checking with the regions for cultural considerations, and publishing aspects." He acknowledged that the decision may have seemingly been made "in a rush," given all the circumstances of the unusual move, but "the decision itself was made deliberately, and involved conversation with, and feedback from, all of Team 4 [the Overwatch design team within Blizzard]."