Middleton video game maker is country’s first game studio to unionize

MIDDLETON, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – The country’s first video game studio to unionize is based in Dane County, and now, they have their first labor contract.

Raven Software in Middleton is owned by Activision Blizzard, which is owned by Microsoft. That left workers negotiating with one of the biggest tech companies on the globe.

IT WORKED OUT PRETTY WELL FOR THE EMPLOYEES

Employees told the State Journal they got just about everything they wanted, a 10% raise, and limits on mandatory overtime.

Staff there work on popular video games like Call of Duty.

LONG WISCONSIN HISTORY FOR RAVEN

Founded in May 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel, Raven Software is best known for the dark fantasy franchise Heretic/Hexen, the first two Soldier of Fortune games, as well as licensed titles based in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series and Marvel Comics‘s X-Men characters, including 2006’s Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

Since 2011, Raven has been working on multiple Call of Duty games as both lead and support developer.

HOW IT STARTED

Raven’s first game, Black Crypt (1992), was conceived in the late 1980s by Raffel brothers to be a  paper-and-pen role-playing game, until the two retooled the project from scratch to become a video game.

IT TOOK TIME

On average, it takes about a year and a half to ratify a new union contract. This took twice as long, three years.

SOCIAL IMPACT (that’s a GOOD thing!)

It’s not all long nights, video game code, and caffeine at the Middleton game maker. They also believe in giving back and helping area children and families.

Raven’s Wings is the studio’s way of giving back to the local community.

They focus on helping children and families by contributing to Community Shares, donating to The Second Harvest Food Bank, organizing blood drives, back to school supply campaigns, and much more.

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