World of Warcraft Developers Have Unionized

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World of Warcraft Developers Have Unionized

Highlights

  • World of Warcraft devs successfully unionized with CWA, forming the largest wall-to-wall union under Microsoft with over 500 Blizzard employees.
  • WoWGG-CWA consists of employees from various departments in California and Massachusetts.
  • QA testers at Albany and Raven Software were first Activision Blizzard studios to unionize in 2022.

As a long-time fan of World of Warcraft and someone who has closely followed the gaming industry for years, I’m thrilled to see the developers behind this iconic MMORPG unionize with the Communication Workers of America (CWA). The formation of the World of Warcraft Gamemaker’s Guild (WoWGG-CWA) is a significant milestone not just for Blizzard employees but also for the entire gaming community.

The development teams for World of Warcraft, with assistance from the Communication Workers of America (CWA), have officially formed a union called the World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild-CWA (WoWGG-CWA). This new union, which is Microsoft’s largest in-house union, encompasses more than 500 Blizzard employees from various departments including quality assurance, art, and engineering.

As a dedicated gamer and follower of gaming news, I’ve come across some intriguing developments within the World of Warcraft community. The formation of the Gamemaker’s Guild in the World of Warcraft scene isn’t a completely new endeavor for unionization at Activision Blizzard. In fact, back in 2022, QA testers from Blizzard Albany and Raven Software paved the way by successfully unionizing, despite numerous setbacks and union-busting attempts. These brave workers became part of Activision Quality Assurance United (AQAU) under the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, AQAU managed to gain over 600 members. Remarkably, Microsoft chose to respect this union as a token of their commitment to neutrality in labor relations with CWA.

After the achievement of Bethesda Game Studios’ unionization, around 500 “World of Warcraft” developers at Blizzard decided to form their own union, named WoWGG-CWA, following this trend. This union comprises over 500 employees from various teams including QA, Sound, Design, Art, Production, and Engineering in both California and Massachusetts. WoWGG-CWA is the largest Microsoft-owned union with members across multiple departments. Given Microsoft’s neutral stance on unions, the formation of this union was done openly with that policy in consideration, making the process more manageable. The “World of Warcraft” Gamemaker’s Guild made their announcement on social media featuring a soldier in red and blue armor giving a thumbs-up. Red and blue were symbolic of the Alliance and Horde factions coming together for a united cause in “World of Warcraft.”

World of Warcraft Developers Announce Gamemaker’s Guild Union

As a gamer, I’ve been keeping an eye on the latest news in the gaming industry this summer. And let me tell you, it’s been quite a ride! Microsoft just announced their third major union formation within this period. Bethesda Game Studios Montreal was the one to take the lead amidst the industry-wide layoffs. They filed their intent to unionize with the Quebec Labor Board in late June, following Microsoft’s decision to close down studios like Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. The news spread quickly on Twitter, with many gamers congratulating the World of Warcraft developers for forming WoWGG-CWA (World of Warcraft Gameworkers – Communication Workers of America). It’s an exciting time in the gaming world as we see more unions emerging to support and protect the industry’s talented workforce.

The “World of Warcraft” GameMakers Guild was established approximately a month prior to the release of the game’s tenth expansion, named “The War Within.” With Bethesda Game Studios and the creators of “World of Warcraft” recently joining forces to form a union, it is yet to be determined if other studios will adopt similar labor arrangements.

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2024-07-25 01:44