Overwatch game developers join CWA

Nearly 200 video game developers behind Activision Blizzard’s hit franchise Overwatch formed a union with CWA, joining over 2,600 worker-organizers at Microsoft-owned studios who are fighting to build better video games, workplaces, and a better industry overall as part of the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA).

The wall-to-wall unit is composed of workers across all disciplines, including design, production, engineering, art, sound, and quality assurance, and will be represented by CWA Local 9510 in Orange County, CA. It is the second wall-to-wall unit to organize at Microsoft, following in the footsteps of World of Warcraft workers who made history when they formed a union last year.

“After a long history of layoffs, crunch, and subpar working conditions in the global video game industry, my coworkers and I are thrilled to be joining the broader union effort to organize our industry for the better, which has been long overdue,” said Foster Elmendorf, senior test analyst II and organizing committee member. “Workers organizing themselves and striving for better conditions as a group allows us to present initiatives that would not only improve our workplace but video games overall.”

Over 2,600 workers at Microsoft-owned studios have formed a union with CWA, following a groundbreaking labor neutrality agreement for worker organizing. With a union, workers will be able to collectively push for workplace improvements like layoff protections, job security, wage increases, limits to outsourcing, and remote work protections.

“California continues to be a hub for video game organizing, and we are excited to welcome Overwatch game developers to CWA alongside our video game union siblings at World of Warcraft and SEGA of America,” said CWA Local 9510 President Jason Justice. “When workers come together to build power, we become able to ensure a brighter future for all.”

The announcement from OWGG-CWA is the latest update in organizing the tech and video game industry, as over 6,000 workers in the United States and Canada have organized with the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) since launching five years ago. Nearly 500 video game workers have also joined United Video Game Workers-CWA, an industry-wide video game union working to build power irrespective of employer or current job status.

Video game workers interested in organizing their workplace can reach out to a UVW-CWA organizer at uvw-cwa.org/contact-us.

Links:

Overwatch game developers join CWA (May 15, 2025)

Blizzard's Overwatch team just unionized: 'What I want to protect most here is the people' (Kotaku, May 9, 2025)