Over 160 Blizzard workers in Irvine join union as gaming-industry labor movement expands

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More than 160 workers at video game company Blizzard Entertainment have voted to unionize.

Workers responsible for creating in-house cinematics, animations, trailers, promotional videos, and other story-based content have recently joined together to form a union, with over 6,000 individuals uniting across the United States and Canada in this effort.

In the realm of cinema, I’ve noticed a significant shift in the industry over the past few years, spearheaded by concerns such as excessive overtime leading up to a film’s premiere, job instability, and unsavory workplace behavior. This wave of change is palpable, driven by those who demand transparency and fair treatment within our creative sphere.

Entertainment & Arts

In response to mounting concerns over excessive work hours, allegations of bias in compensation, and demands for equitable and open wage practices, an increasing number of video game industry employees are advocating for unionization.

The majority of the recently organized employees work primarily in Irvine, a location that houses Blizzard Entertainment’s headquarters. These employees are set to affiliate with Communications Workers of America Local 9510, which is based in Orange County.

John Gearratana, a film producer based at the Irvine campus, expressed his and other employees’ growing dissatisfaction due to recurring job cuts and limited opportunities for remote work. In the past year, Activision Blizzard let go of approximately 400 staff members.

Many individuals in the gaming industry are driven by their passion for games, eager to create and disseminate them. However, the recurring job cuts are quite challenging. They impede game development, creativity, and even the desire to continue working in this field.

Microsoft Corp.-owned Blizzard Entertainment has recognized the union.

The company belongs to Activision Blizzard, a leading game corporation based in Santa Monica, which holds the title as the biggest game company across America.

Activision Blizzard came into being in 2008, when the company based in Santa Monica, known as Activision, combined with the parent organization of Blizzard Entertainment. This company is recognized for hit games like “Call of Duty,” “Warcraft,” “Overwatch,” “Hearthstone” and “Candy Crush.” In 2023, it was purchased by tech colossus Microsoft.

In this scenario, the employee vote for union formation was exempt from a standard election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board, as Microsoft promised impartiality regarding employees’ efforts to organize a union.

Microsoft’s commitment, which is less common among predominantly non-unionized tech conglomerates, has opened up a path for many more employees to join unions with greater ease.

Last year, a Microsoft representative stated that we remain committed to allowing our team members the freedom to decide their representation within our work environment.

Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Approximately 3,000 employees from Microsoft’s owned studios have joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, as reported by union representative Sean Nesmith. Notably, CWA is the most significant labor union in the United States for media and telecommunications sectors.

2021 wrapped up with a momentous shift in the gaming industry as I bore witness to the birth of the first-ever video game union at the independent studio, Vodeo Games. With roughly a dozen dedicated creators under its umbrella, this pioneering move signals a new era for North American video game development.

In the year 2022, a team of employees focusing on quality control at Raven Software, a video game company owned by Activision Blizzard in Wisconsin, formed a union – a significant milestone as it was the first instance of a labor union being established within a major gaming corporation based in the United States.

Over 500 game creators at Blizzard Entertainment, responsible for hit game “World of Warcraft”, chose to establish a labor union last year.

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2025-08-14 13:34