The Overwatch developer team has unionized

The squad of astir 200 Activision Blizzard developers down the Overwatch franchise has unionized. Formed nether the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the Overwatch Gamemakers Guild is the latest wall-to-wall Blizzard national to beryllium recognized by genitor institution Microsoft since the World of Warcraft improvement squad announced its ain union past July.

The CWA announced connected Friday that “an overwhelming bulk of workers person either signed a national authorization paper oregon indicated that they wanted national representation.” The Overwatch national portion includes crippled developers crossed production, engineering, design, art, sound, and prime assurance, pushing for occupation security, salary, and layoff extortion improvements.

“After a agelong past of layoffs, crunch, and subpar moving conditions successful the planetary video crippled industry, my coworkers and I are thrilled to beryllium joining the broader national effort to signifier our manufacture for the better, which has been agelong overdue,” organizing committee subordinate Foster Elmendorf said successful the CWA’s statement.

Allegations that Activision Blizzard fostered a workplace situation of toxicity and intersexual harassment emerged pursuing a lawsuit filed by the authorities of California successful 2021, anterior to the institution being acquired by Microsoft successful 2023. Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has denied that the institution was liable for reported maltreatment concerns and alternatively blamed the issues connected labour organizers. Following its $68.7 cardinal acquisition by Microsoft, Activision Blizzard agreed to wage $54 cardinal to settee the lawsuit.

The CWA says that implicit 2,600 workers astatine Microsoft-owned gaming studios person present joined its ranks, including a national formed by 600 prime assurance workers employed astatine Activision successful March 2024. These strings of unionization efforts travel a labour neutrality statement that was signed betwixt the CWA and Microsoft successful 2022 that made it easier for staffers astatine subsidiaries similar Activision Blizzard to organize.