More than 500 World of Warcraft developers have unionized.
By forming the World of Warcraft Game Makers Guild under the Communications Workers of America (WoWGG-CWA) union, more than 500 “designers, engineers, producers, artists, QA testers, and more” have formed the “first comprehensive union at Activision Blizzard.”
It also marks the largest union at a Microsoft-owned studio and is “further evidence of the growing impact of successful organizing in the video game industry.”
60 Blizzard quality assurance workers have also joined CWA, and Microsoft similarly recognizes them as a union.
The team says that “achieving union recognition is an important milestone in a journey that began when employees walked out of the company and demonstrated at Blizzard Entertainment headquarters in Irvine, California, in 2021 to protest Activision Blizzard's response to a California DFEH sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit, which was settled after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision.”
“What we’ve accomplished in World of Warcraft is just the beginning,” said Eric Lanham, a test analyst and member of WoWGG-CWA. “My colleagues and I are embarking on a mission to secure better pay, benefits, and job security through a strong union contract.
“We know that when workers have a say, it's beneficial to employee standards, the studio, and World of Warcraft fans who crave the best gaming experience. Through our union, we're ready to face any obstacle, heal any wound, and deal damage per second in the challenges ahead. Together, we'll ensure a full level bonus with all jobs included in the same union.”
Tom Smith, CWA's senior director of organizing, added: “The decision by World of Warcraft workers to form a union marks a key turning point in the broader movement to organize video game workers across the industry.
“This victory, built on years of grassroots work since the launch of the Game Workers Unite movement at GDC, reflects a deep-rooted commitment to change.”
Earlier this week, hundreds of employees at Fallout and Elder Scrolls developer Bethesda Game Studios also unionized, joining the Communication Workers of America.
“This victory underscores the growing momentum of worker organizing in the video game industry, and we hope it will continue to inspire other video game workers to form unions and raise industry-wide expectations for wages, benefits and respect for workers' rights,” the CWA added.