Ex-Nintendo game tester accuses company of anti-union activity

A fired Nintendo game tester who accused the company of union-busting activity earlier this year has shared more details about the events surrounding their firing.

In an interview published today with Stephen Totilo of Axios, game tester Mackenzie Clifton alleged that Nintendo and contracting firm Aston Carter fired them because they brought up unionization to a member of management staff. During a meeting between Nintendo game testers and Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, Clifton asked what the American division of the company thought about other games companies unionizing. A day after the meeting, Aston Carter contacted them, telling them to avoid asking Nintendo such questions. Less than a month after the meeting, Clifton lost their job.

In April, Clifton filed a complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board. Choosing to remain anonymous, they alleged that Nintendo and Aston Carter prevented them from exercising their legal right to unionize and discuss unionization without fear of retaliation. Clifton’s allegations are only one part of a larger group of Nintendo of America contractors who claim that Nintendo treats them like “second-class citizens.”

For its part, Nintendo released a statement in April claiming that Clifton was fired for “disclosing confidential information.” Clifton requested proof from management and was told that a tweet they posted about a bug in a testing build turning all of the build’s textures red constituted sharing confidential information with the public. They believe this is misdirection from the company. Neither Nintendo nor Aston Carter responded to Axios’ requests for comment.

As of the publication of the Axios interview, the NLRB is still handling the allegations.