Blizzard Employees from Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble Vote to Form Union

In a significant move, staff members from the Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble development teams at Blizzard have cast their votes in favour of unionizing with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), with more than 100 workers participating. The union will comprise software engineers, designers, artists, quality assurance testers, and producers, who will become part of CWA Local 9510 in Irvine, California. Microsoft has acknowledged the formation of the union. Uriah Voth, a senior 2D artist and member of the organizing committee, expressed that the driving force behind this decision is the need to address pressing concerns such as layoff protections, remote worker security, and wage disparities, which are hindering the team's ability to produce high-quality work. Voth emphasized that unionization empowers the team to challenge instability and unfair conditions. The CWA noted that this latest development was inspired by the successful unionization of over 500 World of Warcraft developers in July. CWA Local 9510 president Jason Justice praised the Hearthstone team's decision, stating that it demonstrates the compatibility of creativity and collective power. Justice added that the unionization of such a talented group of developers and artists sends a clear message about the importance of respecting the individuals behind game development. To date, nearly 1,900 Blizzard employees have joined the CWA, including staff from the Platform and Technology, Story and Franchise Development divisions, as well as Diablo and Overwatch developers. The Platform and Technology department recently announced its decision to unionize on October 15. Overall, almost 3,000 workers at Microsoft-owned studios have unionized with the CWA, including employees at Raven Software, who have filed a complaint against their studio, Activision, and Microsoft for allegedly refusing to engage in bargaining.