unionization
The newly recognized Activision QA United is now the biggest union in the US games industry
Yet another group of Activision-Blizzard workers under Microsoft have voted to unionize: a reported 600 Activision central QA workers in Texas, Minnesota, and California...
Former Bungie legal exec: ‘The company will never love you back, but if you let it, it’ll kill you’
Among the workers affected by Bungie's round of layoffs last October was former chief legal officer Don McGowan, who was the man heading the...
GDC’s 2024 industry survey: Game devs weigh in on AI, layoffs, unionization, RTO, and more
Every year, GDC conducts an industry-wide survey of game developers and compiles the results in its State of the Game Industry, the 2024 edition...
QA employees accuse Activision-Blizzard of a ‘soft layoff’ after studios mandate a return to offices in January
Activision-Blizzard is once again electing to mistreat its QA employees according to a statement from the A Better ABK proto-union, which accuses the company...
MMO Business Roundup: NetEase’s Worlds Untold, Embracer, Ubisoft, unionization, and Epic v. Google
Welcome back to another quick roundup of MMO and MMO-adjacent industry and business news. Numbers numbers numbers!
NetEase - The Chinese megacorp NetEase just can't...
Microsoft reaffirms its neutrality agreement with CWA union following Activision-Blizzard buyout
With everything swirling around the events of Microsoft's $69B buyout of Activision-Blizzard, it might have been easy to forget that during the proceedings, Microsoft...
SAG-AFTRA union prepares for a second strike over video gaming’s use of AI and low wages
The SAG-AFTRA union has already stood up to TV and film companies with no apparent resolution in sight, and now it looks as if...
Workers at SEGA America officially form their own multi-department union after supermajority vote win
Yesterday saw another win for the organization efforts of video game workers as the fledgling union at SEGA America that started seeking votes in...
Activision-Blizzard shareholders propose a measure that guarantees non-interference with organizing workers
The shareholders of Activision-Blizzard are about to come together to vote on a variety of company proposals, and one of those proposals might raise...
Labor board moves forward on union’s labor law charges against Activision-Blizzard
We admit that it's hard to keep track of all of the malfeasance that the Communications Workers of America has been calling out against...
A Better ABK calls out Blizzard’s end of remote work as ‘wholly unnecessary’ and another union busting tactic
Back in February, Blizzard held a meeting that, among other things, confirmed a mandated return to office work and an end of remote work....
CWA files charges against Activision-Blizzard over latest unionbusting efforts
Activision-Blizzard's unionbusting reputation precedes it, I'm afraid, as the company has been playing a very public whackamole game with its burgeoning workers' movements over...
CWA asks European Commission to allow buyout of Activision-Blizzard and a ‘clear path to collective bargaining’
The multi-billion dollar buyout of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft is going to undoubtedly make waves across the games industry, game platforms, and game developers. It's...
Blizzard’s Proletariat ends bid to unionize after unionbusting tactics succeed
Activision-Blizzard's latest efforts to head off worker unions were apparently successful: Union group Communication Workers of America has ended its bid to launch a...
GDC’s State of the Games Industry survey once again demonstrates dev skepticism for metaverse and blockchain hokum
This year's State of the Game Industry from GDC - its 11th since beginning the project - delivers a range of insights from the...
Ubisoft Paris will strike on January 27 following CEO’s responsibility-shifting
If Ubisoft thought that slashing more games, delaying others (like Skull & Bones), and promising "increased cautiousness over the coming years" would stave off...
Workers at Blizzard-owned Proletariat say management refused its union and is ‘forcing’ them to go through NLRB voting
At the tail end of December, we reported that Blizzard-owned studio Proletariat was forming a union known as the Proletariat Workers Alliance. The announcement...
Microsoft’s ZeniMax QA just formed the largest games industry union in the country
Just before the holiday break, workers at Microsoft's ZeniMax Media - including Elder Scrolls Online's ZeniMax Online Studios and Bethesda itself - announced their...
Blizzard-owned studio Proletariat announces plans to form a union
Workers at a third studio owned by Activision-Blizzard are planning to organize: Proletariat, which readers may recall was the studio behind battle royale game...
Unionizing ZeniMax QA workers claim ‘death from a thousand cuts’ thanks to crunch and low pay
Earlier this week, over 300 QA workers employed by ZeniMax, including those who work at Elder Scrolls Online's ZeniMax Online Studios and Fallout 76's...
