While Activision-Blizzard recorded a turnover of 3.6 billion US dollars over the first two quarters of 2020, which included 913 million dollars coming directly from Blizzard games, the group recently announced a new layoff plan at Blizzard France, intending to close its Versailles offices and ending all activity in France without any economical reason.
This plan comes after Activision-Blizzard repeatedly denied any intention to close its French branch after earlier layoffs in 2019. A great number of employees are now at risk of finding themselves without a job in a particularly precarious economical and social context, in the middle of a health crisis, even though they kept working relentlessly through the lockdowns and beyond.
As the CGT, SPECIS-UNSA and CFE-CGC unions at Blizzard France point out, allegations of maintaining competitivity actually hide a tax avoidance scheme, which doesn’t take into account any human issues.
Solidaires Informatique and the STJV maintain their categorical opposition to any layoff, whatever their motive.
We stand in solidarity with the workers at Blizzard France and extend our full support toward any action they will take against these wrongful layoffs.
The call to strike issued by the unions at Blizzard France on October 13th is available here :