Over 180 developers working on Overwatch at Blizzard Entertainment establish a union called The Overwatch Game Makers Guild.
Rewritten Article:
Game devs unite! Over 200 badass Overwatch developers recently formed The Overwatch Workers Collective under the Communications Workers of America (CWA), striving to create a more equitable and nurturing game dev environment. The gamemakers span across various disciplines like design, production, engineering, art, sound, and QA.
The sudden appearance of this collective gained traction following the confirmation from a third-party arbitrator that an overwhelming majority of game devs were in support of this move or had signed union authorization cards[1][3]. For the record, Microsoft has acknowledged this new feisty squad of creative powerhouses.
Foster Elmendorf, a senior test analyst II and an active member of the organizing committee, expressed his excitement regarding the union's formation. "After Years of layoffs, long shitty work hours, and subpar working conditions in the global gaming industry, my colleagues and I are fired up to join the broader union movement to take control and make things better - a change long overdue," Elmendorf announced[5].
A push for unionization in the gaming industry has been escalating, and Microsoft has earned some enviable points for not intervening with such endeavors[4]. In 2022, the CWA trumpeted a progressive labor neutrality agreement with Microsoft, which, at that time, hadn't merged with Activision Blizzard[2]. The following year, World of Warcraft senior producer Samuel Cooper credited Microsoft for supporting the unionization of WoW devs.
Microsoft isn't the only one profiting from the consolidated force of the gaming industry's workforce. The CWA announced United Game Workers-CWA, an industry-wide union that's accessible to developers across North America, regardless of their employers or union affiliation[3].
Much of the impetus behind this unionization fever stems from the severe layoffs of 2023 and 2024, which saw a massive wave of displaced individuals in the industry. As Simon Hedrick, a Blizzard test analyst, told Kotaku, "The layoffs at the beginning of 2024 were brutal - 1,900 employees lost their jobs overnight, including many friends and colleagues [2]. My priority now is to protect the people."
Sadie Boyd, an Overwatch UI artist, echoed these sentiments. "Not only do I get to work alongside a remarkable team of insanely talented people, but also with some of the most compassionate and kind-hearted individuals I've ever met. It's because of their spirit that we unionize - to protect them," Boyd wrote[5].
However, the cherry-scented vibe of Microsoft's union-friendly reputation took a slight hit in April 2025. Members of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union, a subsidiary of Microsoft, authorized their union leadership to call a strike if negotiations with the company persistently stall or fail to yield meaningful progress[5].
Despite these minor hiccups, the CWA reports that more than 2,600 workers at various Microsoft studios have joined CWA-affiliated unions since the labor neutrality agreement was reached[3]. This collective force drives initiatives aimed at enhancing the industry's job security, wages, work-life balance, and protection from outsourcing[3].
Stay tuned for the freshest gaming news, top reviews, and hardware deals! 🚀
Enrichment Notes:1. The Overwatch Workers Collective is a union specifically formed by 200+ Overwatch developers at Activision Blizzard.2. In 2022, Microsoft entered into a labor neutrality agreement with the CWA, permitting unionization at their subsidiaries like Activision Blizzard.3. The union aims to address issues like layoffs, crunch, and subpar working conditions prevalent in the gaming industry.4. Microsoft's support for unionization efforts has made them a known proponent and catalyst for more unionization in the gaming industry.5. The formation of the Overwatch Workers Collective, also known as the Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA, signifies a significant step forward in ongoing unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard.6. The unionization efforts have been largely driven by severe layoffs and negative working conditions in the gaming industry, particularly the horrific layoffs of 2023 and 2024.7. The CWA created the United Game Workers-CWA to support unionization across the North American gaming industry.8. Microsoft isn't the only company facing unionization; the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union has authorized its leadership to call for a strike if contract negotiations stall.9. The formation of the Overwatch Workers Collective has boosted the number of CWA-affiliated unions at Microsoft's studios, helping drive initiatives for better working conditions.10. Employees in the gaming industry joining unions is a growing trend, with Activision Blizzard at the forefront of these efforts.
- Despite some negotiation stalls, the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union, a subsidiary of Microsoft, has authorized its leadership to strike if necessary, showing the growing trend of gaming industry employees unionizing.
- The United Game Workers-CWA, an industry-wide union accessible to developers across North America, was created by the CWA to support unionization efforts in the gaming industry, following the severe layoffs of 2023 and 2024.
- In the midst of the Overwatch Workers Collective's formation, Sadie Boyd, an Overwatch UI artist, expressed the desire to protect her compassionate and kind-hearted colleagues, highlighting the need for gadgets and technology that enhance work-life balance in the gaming industry.
