Keywords Studios Terminates Unionized QA Team for Dragon Age

Keywords Studios, based in Dublin, has terminated its quality assurance team for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, which was contracted to support BioWare Edmonton in Canada. According to Polygon, the unionized team was let go in late September after BioWare decided not to renew its contract in August. The QA workers had joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada Union last year, marking the first game industry union in Canada. The union has now filed a complaint against Keywords Studios, citing that the company offered a 'minimal' severance package. This development comes on the heels of news that former BioWare employees are taking legal action to secure better severance packages after 50 employees were laid off due to the studio's shifting needs. A UFCW spokesperson noted that workers at Keywords Studios had spent a year negotiating a fair collective agreement before being caught off guard by the contract cancellation and subsequent layoffs. The UFCW has launched a campaign, inviting the public to send letters to the CEOs of Keywords Studios, BioWare, and its parent company EA, advocating for fair treatment of unionized staff.