Growing Solidarity: Bethesda and Blizzard Developers Form Unions to Advocate for Collective Bargaining Rights

It has been a week of solidarity in the gaming industry. Five days ago, more than 200 developers from Bethesda Game Studios established the first American union encompassing various positions and functions. Yesterday, another developer under Microsoft ownership did the same.

According to The Verge, over 500 employees from the World of Warcraft team at Blizzard have now created the World of Warcraft GameMakers Guild. This effort, undertaken with the help of the Communication Workers of America (CWC), will again represent a wide range of roles including designers, engineers, artists, and producers.

A conversation with Kathryn Friesen, a quest designer on World of Warcraft, revealed how much the team cares for one another and their work. The motivation to unionize stems from a shared desire to fight for collective bargaining rights together.

From our perspective at the editorial office, we support unions wholeheartedly. Congratulations to the developers at Bethesda and Blizzard. We hope this movement rapidly spreads throughout the entire industry.