Blizzard Entertainment Developers Unite for Change
In a historic move, over 500 employees at Blizzard Entertainment, a Microsoft-owned studio, have formed a comprehensive union representing the entire World of Warcraft development team. This newly formed entity, known as the World of Warcraft Game Makers Guild (WoWGG-CWA), is composed of designers, engineers, artists, quality assurance testers, and more, and marks a significant milestone in the labor movement within the gaming industry.
Birth of a Union
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) confirmed that the WoWGG-CWA is part of a broader trend of unionization within the video game industry. In conjunction with this formation, another group, the Texas Blizzard QA United-CWA, comprising 60 quality assurance testers, was also established in Austin, Texas. These efforts were made possible by a seismic Labor Neutrality Agreement struck in 2022, which allowed staff to organize without interference. This agreement has since been extended to other Microsoft employees, facilitating the unionization of nearly 250 workers at Bethesda Game Studios earlier this year.
The Significance of Unionization
The formation of WoWGG-CWA signifies a “significant milestone” in a journey that began when Blizzard employees protested Activision Blizzard’s response to a California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sexual harassment lawsuit in 2021. This victory underscores the growing momentum of worker organizing in the video game industry, with hopes to inspire other video game workers to form unions and raise industry-wide standards for pay, benefits, and respect for workers’ rights.
Ensuring Every Voice Matters
Blizzard senior software engineer Kevin Vigue expressed that the union aims to uphold the company mantra, “every voice matters.” By forming a cross-disciplinary union, the developers of World of Warcraft seek to ensure that all voices, including those of QA, are heard and valued in the workplace. Vigue emphasized the importance of improving working conditions and protecting the positive aspects of Blizzard to allow developers to fully invest their talents and passion into creating World of Warcraft.
Inspiration and Resolve
The World of Warcraft team’s resolve was bolstered by unionization efforts at ZeniMax, Sega, and other studios, and strengthened by the wave of mass layoffs and studio closures in the gaming industry. Vigue highlighted that the union was organized not only for the current employees but also for future developers. The union aims to ensure fair treatment within the workplace, allowing the team to focus on their shared passion for making great video games.
A Collective Bargaining Effort
Moving forward, WoWGG-CWA will elect a representative bargaining committee from the World of Warcraft team and survey its members to identify priority issues. These may include layoff protections, improved work-from-home policies, transparency around performance and promotions, and pay adjustments to align with the high cost of living in various areas.
Momentum of Unionization in the Gaming Industry
The formation of WoWGG-CWA is part of a larger trend of unionization within Activision Blizzard and Microsoft. Prior to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, QA staff at Raven Software and Blizzard Albany succeeded in their attempts to organize despite reports of interference. In January 2023, over 300 QA workers at Bethesda voted to unionize, marking the first union within Microsoft. This momentum continued post-merger, with around 600 QA workers at Activision Blizzard forming the largest certified union in U.S. video game history in March 2024. Bethesda Game Studios Montreal employees are also in the process of unionizing, having filed for certification with the Quebec Labor Board in June 2024. In total, nearly 750 employees have unionized across Blizzard Entertainment and Bethesda in the past two days.
The Power of Collective Action
This surge in unionization highlights the power of collective action during a tumultuous period for studios and developers. By standing together, workers in the gaming industry are striving to create better working conditions, job security, and a more respectful and inclusive workplace. The success of the WoWGG-CWA and other unions within the industry marks a significant step towards achieving these goals and sets a precedent for future labor movements in the gaming world.
By continuing to focus on understanding and addressing the needs and concerns of their members, unions like WoWGG-CWA are helping to shape a brighter future for the gaming industry and its workers.
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