Over 100 employees from Blizzard's Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble teams have voted to unionize with the Communications Workers of America, joining a growing movement of nearly 3,000 Microsoft-owned studio workers seeking better protections and conditions.
Over 450 Blizzard Diablo developers voted to unionize under the CWA following mass layoffs, aiming to improve job security and industry conditions amid a climate of uncertainty and instability, with Microsoft recognizing the union.
Over 450 game developers working on Diablo at Blizzard Entertainment voted to unionize under the CWA, driven by concerns over layoffs and job security, marking a significant step in industry-wide labor organization efforts in California.
600 Activision QA workers have formed the largest union in the American gaming industry, organized through the Communications Workers of America (CWA) following Microsoft's labor neutrality agreement with CWA. This successful union effort comes after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the subsequent layoffs of 1,900 employees. The move is seen as a victory for union organizing in the industry and a strategic move by Microsoft, as union protections are considered effective against mass layoffs.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) initially claimed that none of its members were affected by the recent Microsoft and Activision Blizzard layoffs, but former Blizzard Entertainment VFX artist Rachel Quitevis, a CWA union member, refuted this statement, highlighting the impact on union members. The CWA continues to advocate for unionization in the game industry, emphasizing the need for workers to organize and influence redundancy practices. Despite the CWA's initial opposition to the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger, it eventually supported the move after entering into a labor neutrality agreement with Microsoft. The union encourages game developers to consider unionization to establish greater transparency and layoff protections.