Nearly 200 developers from Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch franchise have unionized, creating the Overwatch Gamemakers Guild under the Communications Workers of America (CWA). This move follows the unionization of the World of Warcraft development team and is part of a growing union presence within Microsoft-owned gaming studios. The union, encompassing production, engineering, design, art, sound, and quality assurance workers, aims for enhanced job security, salary, and layoff protections. The unionization effort arises amid past allegations of toxicity and harassment at Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft inherited after acquiring the company in 2023. Over 2,600 workers within Microsoft gaming subsidiaries have joined unions, facilitated by a labor neutrality agreement between CWA and Microsoft signed in 2022.
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