More than 450 game developers on Blizzard’s Diablo team have formed a union, making them one of the largest and latest groups of Microsoft workers to do so. The new union includes game developers, artists, designers, engineers, and support staff across the Diablo franchise, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA) press release, which voted “strongly in favor” to be represented by the CWA.
The Diablo team is seeking to improve compensation, job security, and workplace conditions under its Microsoft parent company. Over 3,500 employees at Microsoft are now in CWA unions, including more than 500 World of Warcraft developers who formed Blizzard’s first wall-to-wall union last year. Microsoft laid off as many as 9,100 employees earlier this year, and 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox in 2024.
“With every subsequent round of mass layoffs, I’ve witnessed the dread in my coworkers grow stronger because it feels like no amount of hard work is enough to protect us,” said Kelly Yeo, an organizing committee member for the Diablo union. “This is just the first step for us joining a movement spreading across an industry that is tired of living in fear.”