Over 400 Blizzard employees have voted to unionise under the Communications Workers of America

• The move marks the second unionisation effort within Blizzard Entertainment.
• Microsoft has recognised the union, represented by CWA Locals in Irvine and Austin.
• The union includes staff from Battle.net, localisation, QA, and customer support teams.
• Organisers say Blizzard’s culture depends on retaining its people, not replacing them.

More than 400 employees in Blizzard Entertainment’s Platform & Technology department have voted to unionise under the Communications Workers of America. 

The move marks another branch of Blizzard Entertainment employees choosing to unionise under the Communications Workers of America.

As reported by Game Developer organisers Daniel Weltz, Alex Kohn, and Timothy Biley said they unionised in response to widespread layoffs and low pay, stressing that Blizzard’s culture depends on retaining its people.

Microsoft has officially recognised the union, which will be represented by CWA Local 9510 in Irvine, California, and Local 6215 in Austin, Texas.

Turning things around 

The organisers said Blizzard’s return-to-office policy was a major factor in their decision to unionise. They plan to elect a bargaining committee, survey members on priorities, and begin negotiating a contract with Microsoft in the coming weeks.

The newly unionised group covers a diverse range of Blizzard staff, including graphic designers, engineers, and project managers on Battle.net, as well as localisation, QA testing, and customer support teams across other Blizzard products.

"Having more unions increases workplace standards across the board," the group said. "Workplaces will now have to offer certain things in order to remain competitive to workers."

"The industry itself also tends to view the people who make video games as disposable. We're hopeful that with more unions in the industry, we can turn that perception around."