[thewebguyd]

Its already started, within Blizzard. Communications Workers of America Union across the WoW and Overwatch teams.

Also, no union employees at Blizzard were impact by Microsoft's Xbox layoffs/restructuring.

Goes to show, Unions are important and work. The best time to unionize was several years ago. The next best time is now.

[scruple]

Diablo also unionized and there's some representation in non-game teams like Battle.net. But I also know (I'm in games and in OC myself, loads of friends at local studios from SD, to OC, and LA counties) that they had a demonstration last Thursday, at 2PM Pacific Time they walked out. They claim that leadership is not negotiating in good faith.

[butlike]

I wonder if that's why we got a diablo 2 expansion 25 years after the fact. Can't easily terminate the union employees, so give them something to do. "Here, create a new expansion to a 25 year old game. That'll keep em busy for a while! Har Har Har"

[malfist]

Diablo is blizzard.

[scruple]

The comment I replied to stated that only WoW and Overwatch had unionized. Every game team has unionized at Blizzard, along with some of the support teams.

[NekkoDroid]

> Also, no union employees at Blizzard were impact by Microsoft's Xbox layoffs/restructuring.

It might have to do with the unionisation, but I wouldn't be surprised that its just that Blizzard is like one of the like 4 money makers that MS still has in the gaming division and that is why they were spared.

[Melatonic]

Agreed

Unions also many times (especially with "guild" type unions) can serve other valuable functions like guaranteeing a higher minimum quality of work (generally).

[tatersolid]

Guild-style unions seem to be about setting and enforcing cartel pricing, not work quality. At least for the construction and remodeling subcontractors I encounter.

[newtonianrules]

Sorry but the last people in the game industry that should be complaining are Blizzard. It's been what, a decade? since they've released a new property? How many Hearthstone card packs and Diablo 4 expansions can they milk out of customers before they finally just shut the whole thing down.

I know it's cliche, but what are the thousands of people that work there doing all day?