The Story and Franchise Development (SFD) department at Blizzard Entertainment has voted to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA) as a union. Microsoft has recognized the union. Blizzard’s in-house cinematics, animation, and narrative content, such as in-game cutscenes and promotional videos, are created by the SFD team. They will be the first group in the North American video game industry to form a union in a cinematic, animation, and narrative studio.
There are also archivists and historians in this department who work on Blizzard games such as Overwatch and World of Warcraft. About 169 Blizzard employees are going to join CWA Local 9510 in Orange County, California. Bucky Fisk, a principal editor and organizer, pointed out that, after working at Blizzard for more than 10 years, the workplace has shifted from stable to less stable. He stressed that creating a union will help protect the company’s unique qualities, ensure decisions are made openly, and ensure rules are followed fairly.
Sammi Kay, an associate producer and member of the organizing committee, said that the union drive was both important and freeing. She said that organizing gives workers the power to make the future better, rather than just settling for the way things are now.
This move to form a union is part of a larger trend among Microsoft-owned game developers seeking representation. More than 600 employees from Activision’s quality assurance teams have previously been affiliated with the CWA. The QA teams at ZeniMax and Raven Software, both Microsoft-owned studios, have ratified the contracts.
The creation of this union is a big step toward supporting workers in the video game industry, especially those who work on the story and creative aspects of games, as well as their coworkers in technical and quality assurance roles across Microsoft’s gaming portfolio.
