Bethesda Game Studios has revealed a major breakthrough for its workers, announcing that it’s become the first “wall-to-wall” union under the Microsoft Game Studios umbrella with 241 staff across developers, artists, engineers and more joining the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Union.
The news comes as a welcome story of solidarity in the face of an increasingly-unkind industry, especially within Microsoft which has been responsible for some of the largest and highest-profile layoffs in recent months and years. According to reporting from Jason Schreier, Microsoft has recognised the union, and hopefully BSG is the first of many studios to win better protections for its developers.
The union’s full statement on social media reads:
“We, a majority of developers at Bethesda Game Studios Dallas, Rockville, and Austin, are ecstatic to announce the formation of our union with CWA Union. Together as OneBGS USA, we advocate for the betterment of every developer at BGS, setting the new standard for our industry.
“As a democratic organisation, we seek to empower the collective wishes of our studios’ workers; having a safe, sustainable, and equitable work environment for all. Having a proper seat at the discussion table allows us to turn those wishes into reality.
“Joining in solidarity with our fellow members at ZeniMax Workers, OneBGS MTL, and all of CWA Union, we push for increased job security, compensation transparency, and flexibility to continue creating the games we love.
“As we work towards our first contract with Microsoft, we hope you’ll join us in voicing your support as we serve as an example for all, into the next era of game development.”
241 workers at Bethesda Game Studios, the maker of Starfield and Fallout, are unionizing. We’ll likely see many more announcements like this in the coming months and years. Labor in the video game industry has reached a tipping point: pic.twitter.com/gLxzbtHYmX
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) July 19, 2024
Header image: Bethesda
