A former Nintendo employee has come out to accuse the iconic video game juggernaut of union busting, claiming they were fired over questions of unionization. The establishment of labor unions within the gaming industry has been a hot-button issue throughout 2022 with several developers seeing employees move to unionize. Activision and Blizzard subsidiaries including Blizzard Albany have been particularly noteworthy for union efforts throughout the year. Now, an ex-Nintendo of America worker has revealed they believe they were fired based on a discussion related to unions.
In an interview with news outlet Axios, former Nintendo employee Mackenzie Clifton related their accusations against the developer of quashing union-related discussions. Clifton believes their firing from Nintendo dated back to a January meeting of Nintendo testers where Clifton asked a question about labor unions to Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser. Clifton's question went unanswered, and they were later reprimanded by a supervisor from contracting firm Aston Carter. Clifton was fired in February after working with the developer since 2018 when they joined as a tester for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Clifton's new information about their firing from Nintendo comes as an addendum to the high-profile accusations levied against Nintendo earlier this year. Clifton was confirmed to be the unnamed employee who filed complaints to the National Labor Relations Board in April accusing Nintendo and Aston Carter of union busting, claims which Nintendo was quick to deny. Nintendo was suggested to have fired or surveilled employees who were linked with movements related to unionization, as well as "cracking down" on union efforts among its workers.
Acts of union busting are a very serious allegation towards the iconic Super Mario Bros. developer and one that other studios have faced multiple times throughout the year. Activision Blizzard has seen multiple accusations of union busting, particularly with the formation of subsidiary Raven Software's movement to unionize. Microsoft would later go on record to confirm that the developer would recognize Raven Software's labor union following the completion of the Activision Blizzard purchase. The union movement has not been exclusive to gaming either with multiple Apple stores moving to unionize.
Nintendo's newest accusations of union busting come as the developer gears up for a busy holiday season with several major releases on Switch. Popular franchises like Pokemon and Bayonetta are planned to release new games alongside high-profile ports like Persona 5 Royal and Nier Automata. Rumors have also persisted around other franchises like the return of Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda. The newest round of union busting accusations may put a damper on what is likely to be a successful holiday season for Nintendo.
Source: Axios