Gaming IndustryBethesda Game Studios developers form ‘wall to wall’ union that includes artists, designers, and programmersWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Gaming IndustryBethesda Game Studios developers form ‘wall to wall’ union that includes artists, designers, and programmersWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Developers at Bethesda Game Studios have elected to unionize with the Communications Workers of America, a national labor organization that has also worked withActivisionBlizzard employees on collective bargaining efforts.
Bethesda Game Studios, which was spun off from publisher Bethesda Softworks, is the company most people are referring to when they say “Bethesda”: The Todd Howard-led developer of the modern Fallout and Elder Scrolls games, as well as last year’s Starfield.
Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media in 2021, a purchase which included not just the two Bethesdas, but also a number of other subsidiary studios, such as id Software. Earlier this year,Microsoft shutteredfour of those studios, including Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks.
In the run-up to Microsoft’s other huge recent acquisition—its purchase of Activision Blizzard—the tech giant strategicallypositioned itself as union-friendly. In this instance, it doesn’t appear to have put up a fight: The CWA says that Microsoft has already recognized the union. The next step will be for Microsoft and the union members to agree on a contract, which may or may not go as smoothly.
“As a democratic organization, we seek to empower the collective wishes of our studios' workers; having a safe, sustainable, and equitable work environment for all,“announcedthe newly formed union, which is calling itself OneBGS. “Having a proper seat at the discussion table allows us to turn those wishes into reality.”
The new union includes developers at three Bethesda Game Studios locations in the US. A fourth BGS studio in Montrealvoted to unionizewith CWA’s Canadian branch in June.
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