3 ms·

Walkouts are an easy way to get more attention to an issue and it costs an employer real money. A single action doesn't need to solve everything.

taeric 5y ago
The sceptic in me is unsure how much money this costs. They aren't an assembly line, so did any deadlines get pushed back? Similarly, they are not a services company, so no services were lost. Certainly bad press. And I hope it has impact. But I'm not seeing direct lines to it.
- bigmattystyles 5y ago
  Agreed, human nature being what it is, I guarantee you most of the work missed during the walk out was made up that evening by the same employees working late without being asked to do so.
- micromacrofoot 5y ago
  just the simple math of N productivity hours multiplied by ~500 employees... hard to quantify but greater than 0
- wbc 5y ago
  World of Warcraft, the cash cow product, is getting content delayed according to one of the devs: https://twitter.com/JeffAHamilton/status/1419115702569472003 https://twitter.com/JeffAHamilton/status/1419115702569472003
  - cronix 5y ago
    Delays are common, and expected as par for the course in the game industry. No one blinks an eye at delays and most games seem to not launch when announced anyway (like most software). The question that matters is, will this actually cost them lost revenue in the long run, or just delay inevitable sales by however long the employees can hold out in a walkout/strike? A delay is just as good as money in the bank in the long run. Will people not buy the product because it was delayed? Will they care why it was delayed, or even know unless it was an in-game message? Some will, sure, but will they still make the purchase? Likely.
    - Talanes 5y ago
      World of Warcraft is a subscription-based product, so delays do directly lead to lost revenue as players get bored and cancel.
- Jcowell 5y ago
  They are absolutely a service company since game nowadays are live service content (I.e fortnight). In Activision’s Case, numerous of their games rely on new content being worked on for seasonal releases , bug fixes , reports etc. Time not being spent working on such causes delays which of course cost money.
0xy 5y ago
On the contrary, there's evidence that less time at work (especially a single day) can keep productivity the same or better. Look at 4 day work week experiments.
- CheezeIt 5y ago
  Productivity per hour, or productivity per week?

taeric 5y ago

The sceptic in me is unsure how much money this costs. They aren't an assembly line, so did any deadlines get pushed back? Similarly, they are not a services company, so no services were lost. Certainly bad press. And I hope it has impact. But I'm not seeing direct lines to it.

bigmattystyles 5y ago
Agreed, human nature being what it is, I guarantee you most of the work missed during the walk out was made up that evening by the same employees working late without being asked to do so.
micromacrofoot 5y ago
just the simple math of N productivity hours multiplied by ~500 employees... hard to quantify but greater than 0
wbc 5y ago
World of Warcraft, the cash cow product, is getting content delayed according to one of the devs: https://twitter.com/JeffAHamilton/status/1419115702569472003 https://twitter.com/JeffAHamilton/status/1419115702569472003
- cronix 5y ago
  Delays are common, and expected as par for the course in the game industry. No one blinks an eye at delays and most games seem to not launch when announced anyway (like most software). The question that matters is, will this actually cost them lost revenue in the long run, or just delay inevitable sales by however long the employees can hold out in a walkout/strike? A delay is just as good as money in the bank in the long run. Will people not buy the product because it was delayed? Will they care why it was delayed, or even know unless it was an in-game message? Some will, sure, but will they still make the purchase? Likely.
  - Talanes 5y ago
    World of Warcraft is a subscription-based product, so delays do directly lead to lost revenue as players get bored and cancel.
Jcowell 5y ago
They are absolutely a service company since game nowadays are live service content (I.e fortnight). In Activision’s Case, numerous of their games rely on new content being worked on for seasonal releases , bug fixes , reports etc. Time not being spent working on such causes delays which of course cost money.

0xy 5y ago

On the contrary, there's evidence that less time at work (especially a single day) can keep productivity the same or better. Look at 4 day work week experiments.

CheezeIt 5y ago
Productivity per hour, or productivity per week?