SAG-AFTRA actors cannot perform work for many major video games projects and interactive media, including promotional events, with some exceptions.
The entire World of Warcraft development team has unionized at Blizzard Entertainment, the CWA announced today, bringing over 500 developers into the new wall-to-wall union at the studio.
Sega Europe lays off 240, and sells Relic Entertainment to independent investor. Meanwhile, unionized Sega America employees get a contract deal.
A group of Activision Blizzard QA workers has formed the single-biggest union under a studio, and Microsoft formally recognizes it.
Development studio Flying Wild Hog has unionized. Parent company Embracer Group has been one of many laying off employees in a rough time for the industry.
Activision Blizzard is ending its hybrid work policy for its quality assurance teams, requiring in-office work for QA employees in El Segundo, Austin and Minneapolis. The ABK Workers Alliance has pushed back against this mandate, calling the move a "soft layoff."
Following a deal that will convert some contract employees to full time Microsoft employees, negotiations between Microsoft and ZeniMax Workers United have resulted in a new tentative agreement over the use of AI.
Microsoft is converting workers from ZeniMax Workers United from contract work into unionized employees. This affects 23 out of 77 workers in the group and means both access to benefits and a pay raise.
Now that the deal to acquire Activision Blizzard is complete, Microsoft's Brad Smith has reiterated the company's commmitment to its 2022 labor neutrality agreement with the Communication Workers of America, which represents several industry unions.
A group of employees at Sega of America have announced their intention to unionize.
Proletariat is dropping its request for a unionization vote under the National Labor Relations Board. The Activison-Blizzard owned studio initially declared the intent to unionize the full studio in December.
Unionization efforts for Proletariat will head to an anonymous vote after some workers may have felt pressured to participate. A new statement from the workers' group is optimistic about ongoing discussions.
Activision Blizzard refuses to voluntarily recognize Proletariat unionization efforts, which will send the dispute over voter eligibility to the NLRB.
Representing about 300 QA workers across ZeniMax Studios, ZeniMax Workers United has officially voted to unionize under the CWA. Microsoft has formally recognized this, its very first union.
Proletariat, Inc, the studio that made the spell-slinging Battle Royale Spellbreak and recently was acquired by Activision Blizzard, announced today that the workers have organized into a union and are asking for management to voluntarily recognize the union.