Today marks a significant milestone in the gaming industry, as 241 Bethesda employees take a unified stance by forming a labor union.
Last night, employees at Bethesda Game Studios announced they have formed a union with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), becoming the first game development studio to achieve this milestone since its acquisition by Microsoft. Bethesda Montreal recently filed for unionization, following a similar move by QA employees at Zenimax, Bethesda’s parent company, which saw all three US-based sites – Dallas, Rockville, and Austin – form a union in 2023. As the sole “wall-to-wall” union at a Microsoft online game studio, representatives from among its 241 unionized employees – including artists, engineers, programmers, and designers who have either signed a union authorization card or expressed interest in union representation – have come together.
Mandi Parker, a senior system designer and representative for the Communications Workers of America (CWA), proudly declared that their organization has formally unionized at Bethesda Game Studios, joining a wave of industry-wide labor activism in the digital gaming sector. Employees stand to gain significantly by introducing democratic principles to the workplace and establishing a safe space for their voices to be heard. We’re eager to dive into the details and secure a valuable agreement, demonstrating that our cohesion translates into tangible momentum, driving the success of our work environments, personal lives, and the organization as a whole.
Microsoft has acknowledged the union, paving the way for forthcoming negotiations with its representatives. This significant development marks a substantial leap forward for labor movements within the gaming industry, particularly in light of recent events over the past year. In May, Microsoft initiated a significant restructuring move within its gaming division, resulting in nearly 2000 layoffs. Later that month, it also shut down several development studios, including Tango Gameworks, developer of Hello-Fi Rush; Arkane Austin, responsible for Redfall; Alpha Dog Games; and Roundhouse Games, all of which fell under the Bethesda umbrella. Here’s a revised version of your text: Hopefully, this newly shaped union marks another significant milestone in the evolution of the industry, paving the way for even more major studios to follow suit.
