Developers across different teams and departments working on World of Warcraft have voted to unionize at Activision Blizzard. With over 500 members from varying disciplines, it is the studio’s first union of its kind.
Just like other unions in the industry, the devs are joining the Communication Workers of America (CWA) to form the World of Warcraft Gamemaker’s Guild (WoWGG). It is yet another major step in the unionization efforts across the entire industry.
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft Team Has Unionized
It has been a big week for Activision Blizzard. Not only did Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 just hit Xbox Game Pass, but now the studio’s team behind World of Warcraft gets to celebrate as well.
As officially announced in a post on X, the employees from the entire developing team behind the celebrated MMORPG are now standing together with the communications and media labor union CWA.
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
It is a “wall-to-wall” union, meaning it comprises employees from all departments, including QA workers, designers, engineers, artists, and more. Employees from both the larger Californian team in Irvine and the smaller team in Massachusetts have joined.
As such, it is the largest and most inclusive union and the first of its kind at the studio.
Meanwhile, a second union was formed at Blizzard with the assistance of the CWA in Texas as well, comprising 60 members hailing from teams working on Hearthstone and Diablo.
More Game Industry Employees Are Unionizing
Efforts to unionize at the studio reportedly started back in 2021 after Activision Blizzard was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) for its alleged “frat boy” culture, causing a major employee walkout and rallies.
These efforts gained traction after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, thanks to the company’s neutrality agreement with the CWA. This allows workers to openly organize without interference, leading to more unions forming across the company.
Earlier this year, QA workers at Activision voted to unionize and, with its 600 members, went on to become the largest worker union at any game studio in the country.
Big News! Workers at Activision Central Quality Assurance have joined CWA & Microsoft has recognized their union!
— CODE-CWA (@CODE_CWA) March 9, 2024
With approximately 600 members, Activision Quality Assurance United-CWA is the largest group of union-represented workers at any U.S. game studio! pic.twitter.com/6wWcI3Vkbt
Just a few days ago, the first-ever interdisciplinary wall-to-wall union at a Microsoft game studio was formed when more than 250 of Bethesda’s employees joined the CWA.
We, a majority of developers at Bethesda Game Studios Dallas, Rockville, and Austin, are ecstatic to announce the formation of our union with @CWAUnion. Together as #OneBGSUSA, we advocate for the betterment of every developer at BGS, setting the new standard for our industry.
— OneBGS_USA (@OneBGS_USA) July 19, 2024
Consisting of 500 members, it appears the WoWGG will now be the second-largest game worker union in the United States.
This is not just a huge win for the team right after Activision Blizzard celebrated the launch of its latest Call of Duty title on Xbox Game Pass, but one for the entire industry.
These budding unions set new models for other companies in hopes of creating better working conditions for the people who make the games players love.
Are you excited that the developers of the long-running MMORPG have unionized and that this is the next step in an industry-wide trend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
