Almost 1,900 Blizzard workers ratify first union contract with Microsoft - GamesIndustry.biz
Deal adds protections on AI use and layoffs Blizzard Entertainment has secured a first union contract with parent company Microsoft, ratified by a workforce vote covering just under 1,900 staff. According to Kotaku, the agreement introduces protections covering generative AI use, crediting, remote work, and layoffs. In a statement, Blizzard president Johanna Faries said: "We appreciate the dedication and engagement of our represented employees and the bargaining committees throughout this process, as well as every Blizzard employee whose work continued alongside it.
Deal adds protections on AI use and layoffs
Blizzard Entertainment has secured a first union contract with parent company Microsoft, ratified by a workforce vote covering just under 1,900 staff.
According to Kotaku, the agreement introduces protections covering generative AI use, crediting, remote work, and layoffs.
Blizzard's previously separate unions have now been reconfigured into three main bargaining units. The first covers World of Warcraft, Blizzard QA and Hearthstone, the second platform and technology, customer support, localization, and story and franchise development, and finally, Diablo and Overwatch.
After more than two years of negotiations, the contract - which lasts for four to five years, depending upon the bargaining group - covers crediting (current and former staff must be listed by name on every title they contributed to) and remote work, which designates certain roles as hybrid while giving employees a route to apply for fully remote status.
The contract sets a 60-day notice period, or pay in lieu, a week of severance for every six months worked, and 14 months of recall rights. A successorship clause means the entire agreement stays in effect even if Blizzard is sold to another company.
It also stipulates that while AI tools "may be useful in the game development process to support human judgment and creativity," AI-assisted workflows "remain subject to appropriate human control and review for accuracy and quality," and the implementation of any AI tech that would "materially impact work performed by union employees" must be bargained over before it's implemented.
In a statement, Blizzard president Johanna Faries said: "We appreciate the dedication and engagement of our represented employees and the bargaining committees throughout this process, as well as every Blizzard employee whose work continued alongside it.
"The ratification of these agreements marks a significant milestone and reflects our shared commitment to continuing to work together in support of our teams and our players."
Elsewhere in Activision, Candy Crush developer King has rejected a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with Swedish trade unions Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer.
Several Microsoft subsidiaries - of which King's parent company, Activision, is one - have unionized since 2022. Raven Software became the first major video game union in the United States.