Nearly 1900 Blizzard Entertainment workers have just voted to ratify their first union contract with parent company Microsoft after over two years of bargaining, gaining new protections on issues such as generative AI, crediting, remote work, and layoffs while simultaneously consolidating Blizzard’s many smaller unions into three larger bargaining units.
The contract designates three bargaining groups for future negotiations between Blizzard unions and Microsoft, and will cover all three. One unit covers all of World of Warcraft as well as Blizzard QA and Hearthstone. The second group consists of the platform/technology team, customer support and localization, and the story and franchise development team. And the third group includes both Diablo and Overwatch workers, all of which were previously separate units. For now, the signed contract will cover all of these groups until its expiration in 4 to 5 years (depending on the bargaining group).
The contract includes language on a number of hot-button industry issues. Its artificial intelligence article acknowledges that AI tools “may be useful in the game development process to support human judgment and creativity and that AI-assisted workflows remain subject to appropriate human control and review for accuracy and quality.” But it also stipulates that any implementation of AI technology that would materially impact work performed by union employees must have its impacts bargained over before it can be implemented.
Other sections cover issues such as crediting (guaranteeing that current and former employees are credited by name in all games they work on) and remote work (designating certain roles as hybrid in-office and providing procedures for individuals to apply for their roles to be fully remote). It also contains a lengthy section on how layoffs may be conducted, including a required 60-day notice period (or pay in lieu of notice), a guarantee of one week of severance for every six months of employment, and 12 months of recall rights. The contract also guarantees successorship, meaning if Blizzard is ever acquired by another company, the contract would remain intact.
This marks the fourth contract signed between Microsoft and one of its owned game studios, following ZeniMax QA testers and Raven Software last year, and Blizzard QA workers earlier this year. Blizzard QA workers who already had a signed contract will be rolled into this new consolidated contract.