Blizzard's Diablo development group, Team 3, unionized with the Communications Workers of America to seek negotiating power over layoffs, remote work, budget cuts, and AI's influence on development. Microsoft voluntarily recognized the union and the group will begin bargaining a first contract. The Communications Workers of America had a neutrality agreement with Microsoft tied to the Activision Blizzard acquisition, reducing barriers to organizing. The Diablo team joins previously organized Overwatch and World of Warcraft groups, and follows over 300 ZeniMax QA testers who won their first contract earlier this summer. Mass layoffs in early 2024 helped catalyze the move.
"Passion can't protect us from job instability," software engineer Skye Hoefling said in a press release.
"Our union allows us to focus on making magical experiences for our players instead of worrying about the unstable job industry."
"My entire career as a developer has seen my peers and I paying the 'passion tax' for working in an industry that we love," software engineer Nav Bhatti said in a press release.
"At some point you have to choose between fight or flight, and forming a union is us doing just that - standing our ground in the industry."
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