Mackenzie Clifton, the Nintendo worker who filed a labor complaint earlier this year against the gaming giant, is stepping forward by name for the first time in an interview with Axios.

Why it matters: The veteran game tester alleges Nintendo and contracting firm Aston Carter had them fired in February because they asked Nintendo management a question about unions.

• The complaint alleged that the employers had interfered with Clifton’s federally protected rights to discuss unionization without fear of retaliation.

What they’re saying: “I hope that sharing this story can get more and more people thinking about how the games industry works and how these companies, that everyone’s come to know and love as providers of fun entertainment, are so much more than that,” Clifton tells Axios.

Details: Clifton traces their firing to an online company meeting for hundreds of Nintendo testers in January.

• During a Q&A portion with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, Clifton asked, “What does NoA think about the unionization trend in QA in the games industry as of late?” they told Axios. (The incident, without specifics or names, was first reported by gaming website Kotaku.)
• Clifton’s question wasn’t addressed in the meeting. But later that day, Clifton says, a supervisor from Aston Carter called them, saying it was a “downer question” and advising them to direct such inquiries to the contracting firm, not Nintendo.
• Clifton was “baffled and kind of angry.” Less than a month...

Read Full Story: https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/nintendo-tester-union-busting-whistleblower