The workforce behind World of Warcraft has voted to unionize, with 500 staff taking action, according to the Communication Workers of America.
Those involved include artists, designers, engineers, QA testers, and other professionals in the development team of the ever-popular video game franchise.
CWA has stated World of Warcraft’s publisher, Blizzard Entertainment, has recognized the union which takes the number of unionized workers at parent company Microsoft to more than 1750. This development sees the formation of the World of Warcraft Game Makers Guild, with the CWA-aligned entity establishing significant influence at the subsidiary, Activision Blizzard. It is believed to be the largest-ever union presence at a Microsoft-owned studio.
Last year, the US tech giant secured a $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, which included a “labor neutrality” agreement. Microsoft pledged to not interfere in unionizing efforts to satisfy the demands of the regulators overseeing the acquisition, which goes against the grain in the tech industry.
“Just the beginning” of union efforts
First released in 2004, World of Warcraft has been a trailblazer for the multiplayer role-playing genre. The title allows thousands of players to explore a fantasy environment simultaneously, earning billions of dollars for Blizzard in the process.
In 2021, staff at the publisher staged a walkout after California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleged Activision Blizzard of creating a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination against its female employees.
“What we’ve accomplished at World of Warcraft is just the beginning,” said Eric Lanham, a World of Warcraft test analyst and member guild. The statement also indicated the next aim would be to secure greater conditions in workers’ contracts, “We know that when workers have a protected voice, it’s a win-win for employee standards, the studio, and World of Warcraft fans looking for the best gaming experience.
Tom Smith, senior director of organizing at CWA, added the news “marks a key inflection point” in the wider industry efforts to organize video game workers.
On the other side of the fence, a spokesperson for Microsoft stated the company will continue “to support our employees’ right to choose how they are represented in the workplace” and will meet with the CWA to negotiate on matters in good faith to work towards a collective bargaining agreement.
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