Latest news with #videoGameIndustry
The Verge
3 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
QA workers at ZeniMax reach tentative contract agreement
The over 300 quality assurance workers of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union have reached a tentative contract agreement with Microsoft. It is the first contract agreement at Microsoft since the concerted effort to unionize the video game industry began roughly four years ago. 'This is a monumental victory for all current video game workers and for those that come after,' said Page Branson, a Senior QA Tester at ZeniMax in the press release announcing the agreement. A ratification vote for the contract will take place in late June. The union, organized by the Communication Workers of America (CWA), was formed in 2023 and was voluntarily recognized by Microsoft as a part of the company's labor neutrality agreement with the CWA. In the two years since, the union and Microsoft engaged in contract negotiations that precipitated a one day strike to protest return to office and outsourcing policies and, in April, a strike authorization vote. The contract details offer up a glimpse of what workers across the industry are fighting for and what they can win. According to CWA's press release, the contract guarantees wage increases – a big deal considering QA are some of the lowest paid workers in the industry. The contract will also include protections against arbitrary dismissal, as well as crediting guidelines – another big deal as there are numerous ways a person who worked on a video game can get left off its credits. While the industry's organization efforts are ongoing, there's been a surge in activity over the last four years. Workers at Raven Software, which was then a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard before its acquisition by Microsoft, organized the first video game union at a AAA publisher in 2022. That win kicked off a series of other high profile unionization efforts across the industry but concentrated primarily within Microsoft – ostensibly to take advantage of the labor neutrality agreement that states that Microsoft will voluntarily recognize union efforts within the company. With ZeniMax workers finally winning a contract agreement at Microsoft, the industry has another first – one that will set a precedent for other, future negotiations.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The FTC will finally stop challenging Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard
The Federal Trade Commission has finally given up the ghost on challenging Microsoft's $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard. "The Commission has determined that the public interest is best served by dismissing the administrative litigation in this case," the agency said in an order issued today. The federal regulator had attempted to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard both before and after the deal closed back in October 2023. The FTC just lost out on its latest appeal against the merger earlier this month. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FTC had not successfully argued several points of its case for a preliminary injunction against the merger, which is one of the biggest acquisitions in the video game industry. "Today's decision is a victory for players across the country and for common sense in Washington, D.C. We are grateful to the FTC for today's announcement," Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith posted on X about the dismissal.
Digital Trends
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Overwatch developers have formed their own union to fight for a better industry
More than 200 Activision-Blizzard developers have formed a union called the Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA (OWGG-CWA). Yesterday, the Communications Workers of America announced the formation of the new union, and said that Microsoft has already recognized and acknowledged it. The union's founding members cited the multiple waves of layoffs that have hit the industry, crunch working conditions, and the success of other recently-formed unions as the motivating factors behind the OWGG-CWA. According to Frank Le Cocq, a VFX artist in the industry, 'The massive layoffs in the video game industry, and at my own studio, became one of the first reasons I started to learn about how to organize to create a healthier workplace for everyone.' Le Cocq said that knowing the World of Warcraft team had successful navigated the process was encouraging for his team. Recommended Videos More than 2,600 workers at Microsoft studios are part of unions with the CWA. Many of those workers have been directly impacted by the upheaval within different companies, such as the closure of three different EA-owned studios. Microsoft's acknowledgement of the union is a good sign, but it doesn't mean the group is in the clear. The union will need to decide what it wants to push for, and charting a course can be more difficult when the union consists of workers across a variety of disciplines. The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild includes developers from design, production, engineering, art, sound, and quality assurance. The Zenimax union that Le Cocq mentioned consists solely of QA staff. Jess Castillo, another union member, had this to say: 'I'm organizing because I believe in this company, our teams, and the work we do together. Unionizing is about having a seat at the table so that we can work with leadership to build better, more sustainable working conditions. Ultimately, when we're supported and thriving, we can deliver the best possible experiences to our players, which is what brought all of us here in the first place.'
