Over 200 developers working on Overwatch 2 at Activision Blizzard have voted to unionize.
In its announcement, The Communications Workers of America (CWA) said its latest guild, formally known as The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA (OWGG-CWA), is a “wall-to-wall unit that includes game developers across all disciplines, including design, production, engineering, art, sound, and quality assurance.” The decision to unionize came from the “overwhelming majority” of the workforce.
“California continues to be a hub for video game organizing, and we are excited to welcome Overwatch game developers to CWA alongside our video game union siblings at World of Warcraft and SEGA of America,” said CWA Local 9510 President Jason Justice.
“When workers come together to build power, we become able to ensure a brighter future for all.”
“The massive layoffs in the video game industry, and at my own studio, became one of the first reasons I started to learn about how to organize to create a healthier workplace for everyone,” said Frank Le Cocq, VFX artist and organizing committee member.
“When we began our union efforts, it was empowering to know that our coworkers next door at World of Warcraft had already successfully gone through the process.”
This latest collective bargaining follows action by Activision’s user research workers who also voted to unionize in March. CWA confirmed a supermajority of the Microsoft-owned staff voted in favor of union representation.
Microsoft has recognized OWGG-CWA now over 2,600 workers at Microsoft-owned studios have organized under the company’s “groundbreaking” neutrality agreement with CWA.