As a seasoned tech enthusiast who has witnessed the evolution of the gaming industry over the past few decades, I find it heartening to see the growing trend of unionization among game developers, most recently at ZeniMax Online Studios. Having closely followed the ups and downs of this industry, I can attest that the workers’ collective voices are now being heard louder than ever before.
Another major game studio is unionizing.
Amid the hustle and bustle of the Game Awards 2024, we also learned that ZeniMax Online Studios, developers of The Elder Scrolls Online, are unionizing with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) as ZOS-United CWA. Per the press release, an “overwhelming majority” of developers at the studio signed union authorization cards or voted through a secure portal. The union includes 461 members across the U.S, including web developers, engineers, and artists.
Today, John Hartzell, a principal economy designer at ZeniMax Online Studios and a member of ZOS United-CWA, expressed deep pride in his coworkers who are among thousands of video game workers using their collective power to foster industry stability. He emphasized that unions aim to help everyone, regardless of the studio they work for, their title, or where they’re from.
Located in various parts of the U.S and Hungary, ZeniMax Online Studios stands as one of the larger studios under the Xbox brand. Each year, they release new chapters for The Elder Scrolls Online game, while simultaneously developing a new intellectual property that runs on a novel engine.
Microsoft chose to acknowledge the union, continuing a trend they’ve followed since their agreement with the CWA, where they pledged neutrality in all employee unionization endeavors.
Unionization continues to grow at Microsoft Gaming
Over the past few years, while Microsoft let go of approximately 2,500 workers from its various gaming departments, unions have sprung up among teams at ZeniMax Quality Assurance (QA), Activision Central QA, the World of Warcraft team at Blizzard Entertainment, and even the entire Bethesda Game Studios. With the incorporation of ZeniMax Online Studios, a significant number of employees within Microsoft’s gaming sector are now part of these unions.
Alyssa Gobelle, a senior motion graphics artist and member of ZOS United-CWA, stated, ‘When we join forces and establish a union, we’re making a significant stride towards shaping a brighter tomorrow for us and our loved ones. This enables us to implement safeguards against dismissals and workplace mistreatment, as well as offer extra assistance to workers that goes beyond what FMLA and existing company policies currently provide.’ In her view, unions are essential at ZeniMax.
Recently, Quality Assurance employees at ZeniMax decided to stage a one-day walkout, expressing their discontent over Microsoft’s unwillingness to discuss remote work and outsourcing strategies. During that time, they informed me that discussions were ongoing regarding other matters in a positive manner. However, the union believed it was essential to take action in order to draw Microsoft’s focus towards these pressing issues.
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2024-12-13 19:39