Activision Blizzard says it has difficulty hiring and keeping staff

In a recent annual report Activision Blizzard has said that it is facing an increased attrition rate after ongoing legal action.

The annual report (via Axios) states that recent legal proceedings regarding alleged workplace harassment and strikes over QA layoffs may be responsible for an increased attrition rate at the company, and is also causing difficulty in attracting new staff members.

The report said: “We are experiencing adverse effects related to concerns raised about our workplace. If we experience significantly reduced productivity, significant worker protests or strikes in regards to these matters, significant continued loss of sponsors, advertisers or players, or other negative consequences relating to these matters, our business could be materially adversely impacted.”

The report continues, saying that Activision Blizzard may not be able to conduct business if it is unable to attract, retain, and motivate skilled personnel.

“We have observed labour shortages, increasing competition for talent, and increasing attrition. We are experiencing increased difficulty in attracting and retaining skilled personnel. For example, we observed a significantly higher turnover rate of our human resources function in 2021.”

After a series of sudden layoffs at Raven Software, the staff there have taken steps to form a union. The report cites this action as something that could impact the business, saying: “Work stoppages or strikes could occur within a unionised workforce.

“While none of our employees are currently unionized, several of our employees have engaged in a strike for one or more days, leading to a business impact. Further disruptions to our workforce could negatively impact our business and lead to delayed product and content releases as well as a potential impact on product quality.”

In other news, over 1000 games are now officially verified for the Steam Deck, with more on the way.