More than 500 developers at Blizzard Entertainment – the studio behind World of Warcraft – have voted to form the first wall-to-wall union at Activision Blizzard. Per the WoW Gamemakers Guild, the union includes World of Warcraft’s QA, Art, Sound, Design, Engineering and Production team members to include as many voices in the democratic workplace as possible. Having secured a majority vote to join the Communications Workers of America, over 1,750 video game workers at Microsoft now have union representation.
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“What we’ve accomplished at World of Warcraft is just the beginning. My colleagues and I are embarking on a quest to secure better pay, benefits, and job security through a strong union contract. We know that when workers have a protected voice, it’s a win-win for employee standards, the studio, and World of Warcraft fans looking for the best gaming experience,” said Eric Lanham, Test Analyst and member of the World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild – CWA (WoWGG-CWA). “Through our union, we’re ready to tank any obstacles, heal any wounds, and DPS through the challenges ahead. Together, we will ensure a full tier set bonus with the inclusion of all job titles in the same union. Like the legendary heroes of Azeroth, our union is forged in the fires of perseverance and resilience, and together, we will stand strong as the Alliance and the Horde to ensure a bright future for all.”
Game developers unionizing continues to grow in importance as the individuals who bring your favorite games to whatever platform you play on are continually facing a harsh environment in the industry, with layoffs and closures this year continuing to impact studios, as well as pressure to deliver high quality content faster resulting in understandably low developer morale.
“The decision by workers on World of Warcraft to form a union marks a key inflection point in the broader movement for video game worker organizing industry-wide. This victory, built on years of foundation work since the launch of the Game Workers Unite movement at GDC, reflects a deeply rooted commitment to change. Unionizing one of the most successful games ever signifies the rising power of worker solidarity across the industry, from AAA studios like SEGA and Bethesda to indie developers. What seemed impossible six years ago is now a reality, and this is just the beginning. Together, workers are redefining their industry. Up until now, my proudest WoW moment was successfully main-tanking RoS as a prot warrior, stance-dancing with no off-tank back during TBC. But what these amazing workers have done today leaves that in the dust,” said Tom Smith, Senior Director of Organizing at CWA.
The Blizzard Entertainment union joins its CWA union siblings at Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax, Activision, SEGA of America, Tender Claws and Blizzard.
