Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
A major unionization victory has been achieved at Activision Blizzard, with nearly the entire World of Warcraft team organizing a “wall-to-wall” union of over 500 employees across game development, QA, community management, and further departments. The organization has cooperated with and is supported by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union group, marking another addition to the CWA’s efforts to help unions organize in the gaming industry.
The World of Warcraft union officially rolled out this week under the name of the WoW Gamemaker’s Guild, as acknowledged by the CWA. “Wall-to-wall” means that the union doesn’t focus on one group or division within the team, but rather encompasses all divisions. Specifically, QA, art, sound, design, engineering and production teams were listed in the union with over 500 employees being recognized as members of the overall organization.
This marks one of the biggest moves in unionization in the gaming industry this year. The WoW Gamemaker’s Guild joins Sega of America workers who organized and ratified their first union contract earlier this year.
Unionization has been a hot topic in gaming and tech, especially amid the layoffs that have been rampant throughout 2024, which have seen thousands of tech and gaming employees put out of work at companies like Microsoft and Embracer Group. Just recently, IGN parent company Ziff Davis laid off the entire publishing team at Humble Games, and while the publishing wing is not closed, it is essentially gutted. Actions like this have led to an increased demand for workers protections and rights that made victories like those at the WoW Gamemaker’s Guild possible.
With the WoW Gamemaker’s Guild now established with the CWA’s help, it should help to protect and benefit Activision Blizzard employees. Stay tuned for further news and updates on this and other unionization stories as they drop.