Since mass layoffs started sweeping through the video game industry, there has been a growing call for video game workers to unionize. More devs are heeding that call. The latest to do so are devs working on World of Warcraft.
Over 500 “designers, engineers, producers, artists, quality assurance testers, and more” World of Warcraft workers have formed the World of Warcraft Game Makers Guild under the Communications Workers of America union (WoWGG-CWA). The union is regarded as the “first wall-to-wall union at Activision Blizzard”.
We're the World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild: the first wall-to-wall union at Blizzard! We're thrilled to include WoW's QA, Art, Sound, Design, Engineering and Production voices for a democratized workplace. At this crucial moment in games, we stand together as one. For Azeroth! pic.twitter.com/ieewW5KFuI
— WoW Gamemaker's Guild (@WoWGG_CWA) July 24, 2024
“World of Warcraft workers just joined CWA! We are stoked to welcome them into our union” tweeted the labor union, adding that, “Workers organized under the labor neutrality agreement between CWA and Microsoft. Over 1,750 video game workers at Microsoft now have union representation with CWA.”
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The CWA said WoWGG-CWA is the largest wall-to-wall union at a Microsoft-owned studio which further highlights “the growing effect to successfully organize the video game industry”. Around 60 Blizzard QA workers have also joined CWA. Microsoft has recognized all the unions.
“Achieving union recognition is a significant milestone in a journey that began when employees walked out and rallied at Blizzard Entertainment HQ in Irvine, Calif., in 2021 to protest Activision Blizzard’s response to a CA DFEH discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit, which was settled after Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision,” said the team.
“What we’ve accomplished at World of Warcraft is just the beginning,” said Eric Lanham, test analyst and member of WoWGG-CWA. “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. 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.”
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Tom Smith, the senior director of organizing at CWA said the decision by World of Warcraft workers to unionize “marks a key inflection point in the broader movement for video game workers 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.”
The formation of WoWGG-CWA is coming days after the majority of Bethesda Game Studios’ 241 workers signed union authorization card.
