241 workers at Bethesda Game Studios have formed a union.
Bethesda Game Studios has been recognized as a union by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), marking “Microsoft’s first full-fledged unionization.”
“We, the majority of developers at Bethesda Game Studios in Dallas, Rockville and Austin, are excited to announce our unionization with the CWA union. As #OneBGSUSA, we will advocate for the upliftment of all BGS developers and set a new standard for the industry.”
“As a democratic organization, we aim to fulfil the aspirations of all studio employees: a safe, sustainable and fair working environment for all. By having a proper seat at the table, we can turn that aspiration into reality.”
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“We stand united with our allies in the ZeniMax Workers, OneBGS_MTL, and CWA Union demanding job stability, compensation transparency, and more flexibility to keep building the games we love.”
The statement concludes: “As we work towards our first deal with Microsoft, we hope you will use your voice to help us set an example for all as we move into the next era of game development.”
Microsoft Reportedly “The Union has been approved.”
Bethesda is just one of several studios to move to unionize following more than 15,000 job cuts and studio closures in the past 18 months: In April, Just Cause developer Avalanche revealed plans to sign a collective bargaining agreement with a Swedish labor union.
Chris Dring of GamesIndustry.biz recently took a closer look at the Eurogamer layoffs and provided some insight into what’s actually going on.