By Activision
Acquired2 known investors
Boston game studio founded in 2012, maker of Spellbreak, acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2022 and now supporting World of Warcraft.
Also known as Blizzard Boston · Proletariat · Proletariat Games · Proletariat Inc.
Investors · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Proletariat is a Boston, Massachusetts video game development studio founded in 2012 by Seth Sivak. It operated independently for roughly a decade, developing titles including the fantasy battle royale/multiplayer game Spellbreak and StreamLegends. In June 2022 the studio was acquired by Activision Blizzard and folded into Blizzard Entertainment, where it is also referred to as Blizzard Boston.
Following the acquisition, the studio's work shifted to supporting World of Warcraft, including World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, and Spellbreak was reported as scheduled to shut down in early 2023. Founder Seth Sivak took the role of vice president of development at Blizzard Entertainment, overseeing the Boston studio.
The studio drew industry attention in late 2022 and early 2023 when its workers announced the Proletariat Workers Alliance, an attempted studio-wide union organized with the Communications Workers of America. Unlike earlier Activision Blizzard union efforts at Raven Software and Blizzard Albany, which covered quality assurance teams, the proposed unit spanned multiple disciplines. Management declined voluntary recognition and the petition was withdrawn in January 2023 without a vote.
Founding story
Seth Sivak founded Proletariat in 2012. The company operated as an independent studio until its 2022 acquisition by Activision Blizzard.
Business model
Proletariat develops video games. Independently it produced and operated live multiplayer titles such as Spellbreak and StreamLegends; as part of Activision Blizzard/Blizzard Entertainment it functions as a development studio contributing to World of Warcraft.
Latest developments
The studio's union election petition was withdrawn in January 2023 without a vote, following management's refusal to voluntarily recognize the Proletariat Workers Alliance. Parent Activision Blizzard completed its acquisition by Microsoft in October 2023 and continues to operate as a separate business within Microsoft's Xbox division; subsequent Microsoft layoffs affected Activision, Xbox and ZeniMax staff.
▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
A mid-sized development studio within Activision Blizzard, which is one of the largest video game publishers globally and the owner of franchises including Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush Saga; Activision Blizzard has been part of Microsoft since October 2023.
Go-to-market
Players of multiplayer online and massively multiplayer online games, including the World of Warcraft player base.
Geography
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Parent company Activision Blizzard is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
History
Founded in 2012 by Seth Sivak, Proletariat developed games including Spellbreak and StreamLegends as an independent studio. Activision Blizzard acquired the studio in June 2022 to assist with World of Warcraft development, including Dragonflight, after which the studio also became known as Blizzard Boston and Sivak became a Blizzard Entertainment vice president of development. Spellbreak was reported as shutting down in early 2023. In December 2022 workers filed for a studio-wide union election with the NLRB under the Proletariat Workers Alliance and CWA; leadership declined voluntary recognition in January 2023 and the petition was withdrawn later that month. Parent company Activision Blizzard was itself acquired by Microsoft in October 2023.
Risks & controversies
The 2022-2023 union campaign was contentious: CWA accused management of 'confrontational tactics' and union-busting after leadership declined voluntary recognition despite a claimed supermajority of signed union cards, and the petition was withdrawn without an election; some employees said the organizing process itself was rushed and confusingly communicated. Parent company Activision Blizzard has faced multiple unfair labor practice complaints from CWA (which it denies), a California lawsuit alleging harassment of female employees and a 'frat boy' culture that was settled for $54 million in 2023, and regulatory challenges to the Microsoft acquisition from the FTC and European regulators. The shutdown of Spellbreak followed the acquisition.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Timeline · 6
launches, deals, and filingsMicrosoft closed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the parent company of Proletariat/Blizzard Boston, in October 2023 after antitrust challenges from the FTC and European regulators. Business Insider describes the all-cash deal at $69 billion and $95 per share; Polygon cites a $68.7 billion figure for the deal while it was pending.
$69B source ↗
The union petition before the NLRB was withdrawn and workers did not vote. CWA attributed the withdrawal to management's 'confrontational tactics' and meetings that it said made a free and fair election impossible; Activision Blizzard said the CWA withdrew in response to employee feedback. Some employees said the process felt rushed and poorly communicated.
Proletariat leadership published a blog post declining voluntary recognition of the Proletariat Workers Alliance, saying it had begun the process for a formal NLRB vote and describing leadership as 'pro-worker.' CWA responded that a supermajority of the bargaining unit had signed union cards and characterized the move as union-busting.
Spellbreak, the multiplayer/battle royale title developed by Proletariat, was reported as set to shut down in early 2023 following the studio's acquisition by Activision Blizzard, with the team moving to World of Warcraft.
Employees announced formation of the Proletariat Workers Alliance with the Communications Workers of America and filed for a union representation election with the National Labor Relations Board. Unlike prior Activision Blizzard union efforts limited to QA, the proposed unit spanned the full studio including QA, animation, design, engineering and production. Demands included flexible paid time off, remote work options, voluntary overtime, healthcare benefits, and diversity and transparency commitments.
Activision Blizzard acquired the Boston-based studio Proletariat in June 2022; the team was assigned to support development of World of Warcraft, including World of Warcraft: Dragonflight. Founder Seth Sivak became vice president of development at Blizzard Entertainment, overseeing the Boston studio.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does By Activision do?
- Boston game studio founded in 2012, maker of Spellbreak, acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2022 and now supporting World of Warcraft.
- Who are By Activision's investors?
- By Activision's investors include Raptor Group, Spark Capital.