Game developers behind the hit franchise Overwatch have officially unionized, joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA) through the Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA (OWGG-CWA). The nearly 200-person wall-to-wall unit, which includes artists, QA testers, engineers, designers, and more, secured voluntary recognition from Microsoft, the parent company of Activision Blizzard.
Supported by CWA’s Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA), the workers cited job security, fair wages, and layoff protections as key issues driving their union effort. CODE-CWA has now helped over 6,000 tech and game industry workers unionize across the U.S. and Canada since its launch.
“After a long history of layoffs, crunch, and subpar working conditions... we’re thrilled to be joining the broader union effort,” said OWGG-CWA organizing committee member Foster Elmendorf. “Organizing allows us to push for improvements that benefit not just our workplace, but the industry as a whole.”