Undead Labs founder Jeff Strain wrote an open letter to the gaming industry calling for a big change in how it does business. In the letter, the Undead Labs boss said that it's now time for workers in the industry to officially unionize.
Strain's letter came as the idea of unionization in the gaming world has started to gain steam yet again in the wake of the recent Activision Blizzard controversy. The company has come under fire by several in the business because of the alleged treatment of female employees over the years. Strain even leaned on his history with Blizzard when he made his case for why he believes it's finally time for the gaming industry to unionize.
The letter, titled "It's Time" started by saying that "toxic" is a word that is used so much, it's almost lost its meaning. He added that despite that seemingly being the case, the allegations of a toxic work environment at Activision Blizzard spurred the Undead Labs creator into action.
Strain went on to say that the allegations left him "disgusted and repulsed, but not surprised." He then detailed a situation during his early career when he worked at Blizzard back when it was a much smaller company. He said he joined the firm in 1996, though he didn't stay with the firm long, and a "cataclysmic" meeting with his bosses discussing the inclusion of dismembered female body parts being put into the beta version of Diablo was the final straw.
The Undead Labs founder said his time with Blizzard left a mark on his soul that will never really go away. In particular, it showed that certain "gamer cultures" can cause more harm than good. Strain added he's tried to make sure the kind of culture he saw at his former employer is encouraged anywhere else he went. That's one of the reasons he believes it's time for unions to form throughout the industry.
Towards the end of his letter, Strain wrote that unions were created in this country as a way to try and protect employees from the kind of thing that went on at Activision Blizzard. He added that he's not expecting his own company to be exempt from any attempts to unionize. In fact Strain said he welcomes that effort whenever it comes. Finally, he called on other leaders and bosses in the video game industry to join with Undead Labs higher-ups in not trying to stamp out unions, but embracing them as well.
Source: IGN