Gamedev strikes back

At the beginning of the year we wrote about the dire state of affairs in game development and mass layoffs, the pace of which shows no signs of slowing down. This fate did not bypass some gaming studios owned by Microsoft.

The last couple of weeks have seen several important events in the world of game development. Employees of two major game studios owned by Microsoft have decided not to wait for the moment when their will suffer the same fate as his already fired colleaguesand organized primary union cells, enlisting the support of the large trade union organization Communication Workers of America (CWA).

Employees of Bethesda Game Studios, the developer of the Fallout, Elder Scrolls, announced the creation of the OneBGSUSA trade union and to join the CWA. 241 employees from three branches of the company (Dallas, Rockville, Austin), including actors, engineers, developers and designers, signed the corresponding notice to the employer. It is noteworthy that this is the first union that unites employees of various professions, and not just testers, as it happened before.

There are approximately 500 employees at Blizzard Entertainment, known for the World of Warcraft, Diablo, and other series organized into a trade union. It covers all professions involved in creating games. Ironically, one of the reasons for creating the union was the desire to fully follow Blizzard's values, one of which reads: “Every voice matters“.

The main motive for joining a union was the desire to fight for better working conditions, for employers to comply with labor laws, and for a more advantageous position at the negotiating table (1, 2). An additional incentive is the agreement between CWA and Microsoft labor neutrality agreement.

In both cases, Microsoft did not interfere with the creation of trade unions and recognized them. However, such a loyal policy of the company towards trade union organizations is determined by the current market situationTherefore, colleagues should not lose their vigilance under any circumstances.

Don't wait until things get tough, be one step ahead and ready to fight. Unite!