Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble Devs Join Mass Activision Blizzard Unionization
▼ Summary
– Over 100 Blizzard employees from Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble teams voted to unionize with the Communications Workers of America.
– Microsoft, the parent company, has recognized the union, which now includes more than 1,900 Activision Blizzard workers.
– A game designer stated that organizing provides a collective voice and solidarity to address concerns that individuals might be ignored.
– The unionization follows a solidarity event where workers joined the World of Warcraft Bargaining Committee during contract negotiations.
– EA employees and the CWA issued a statement opposing a private acquisition, arguing it could lead to unnecessary job losses for investor benefit.
A significant development has unfolded at Blizzard Entertainment, where more than 100 employees working on popular titles like Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble have officially voted to unionize. These software engineers, designers, artists, quality assurance testers, and producers will now be represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9510 based in Irvine, California. This decision brings them into a larger collective of over 1,900 unionized workers across Activision Blizzard, with parent company Microsoft reportedly acknowledging the union’s formation.
Dominic Calkosz, a game designer and member of the organizing committee, explained the motivation behind this collective action. He noted that while individual coworkers have consistently raised concerns over the years, it is often easy for a company to overlook isolated voices. By organizing, they aim to establish a unified voice and a powerful sense of solidarity that the entire gaming industry must take seriously.
This unionization vote occurred shortly after CWA president Claude Cummings Jr. visited Blizzard’s Irvine campus. The purpose of his visit was to celebrate the expanding trend of labor organizing within the video game sector. During the event, unionized staff from across Activision Blizzard participated in a solidarity walk with the World of Warcraft Bargaining Committee as their contract negotiations proceeded.
In related news, Eurogamer recently conducted interviews with members of Blizzard’s story and franchise development team regarding their own union. These discussions focused on the specific demands the workers are presenting to Microsoft.
Separately, earlier this week, employees at Electronic Arts (EA) and the Communications Workers of America issued a joint statement opposing a proposed private acquisition of the company. They argued that workers were excluded from the negotiation process and asserted that any potential job losses resulting from the deal would represent a deliberate choice to enrich investors, rather than a business necessity. Eurogamer also engaged with Human Rights Watch to discuss the contentious aspects of this acquisition.
(Source: Euro Gamer)
