Microsoft subsidiary studio Double Fine is unionizing, according to a recent petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). After announcing the petition, which was filed on Thursday, May 7, Double Fine stated that it was working alongside the Communication Workers of America (CWA) to secure union representation.
Double Fine was founded in July 2000 by game designer Tim Schafer following his departure from LucasArts. Since its creation, Double Fine has produced various iconic and eclectic games for players to enjoy, including Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, and Broken Age. Double Fine was acquired by Microsoft in 2019 in a standalone purchase. Since joining the Xbox umbrella, Double Fine has released additional titles for multiple platforms, including Psychonauts 2 and Keeper.
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Double Fine Announces Union Election Petition
Following the launch of its latest game, a multiplayer brawler title called Kiln, Double Fine revealed that it was taking a major step to help ensure its future amid a troubling time for the gaming industry. As first reported by Aftermath, Double Fine stated that 42 part-time and full-time members would be included in its new union that it is forming in cooperation with the CWA. The NLRB petition was filed with the NLRB’s regional chapter in San Francisco, where Double Fine is also located. Double Fine stated that it is seeking a labor union election alongside a voluntary recognition request from Microsoft. In a statement following the petition, the CWA said, “On May 7, the workers at Microsoft studio Double Fine Productions announced their decision to form a union with CWA to preserve and extend the studio’s commitments to creative excellence, diversity and inclusion, and worker quality of life.”
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The case is still open as of this writing. Should its efforts prove successful, Double Fine would join other companies under Microsoft’s umbrella that have successfully unionized. Further, Double Fine would also be the first union to form under new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who took over following the retirement of Phil Spencer in February 2026. Sharma has since added new leaders to help manage the Xbox brand, four of whom she previously worked with during her time in Microsoft’s CoreAI team. Sharma also announced that development of Copilot on Xbox consoles and mobile devices would end, as they do not align with the direction Xbox is headed.
Microsoft’s History With Unions May Favor Double Fine
Following Microsoft’s buyouts of Zenimax and Activision Blizzard, several development teams from studios like Raven Software have worked with the CWA to form their own labor unions. In August 2025, the Diablo development team voted to form a wall-to-wall union comprised of all its members, with over 450 employees at Blizzard’s Team 3 counted under the agreement at the time. The Diablo developers’ union followed the successful formation of the World of Warcraft Gamemaker’s Guild in 2024. The World of Warcraft union encompassed over 500 employees across its California and Massachusetts offices.
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Despite the expiration of Microsoft’s previous labor union neutrality agreement, the CWA stated that Microsoft agreed to maintain its long-standing neutrality stance concerning Double Fine’s unionization efforts. However, it remains to be seen when all parties involved will meet at the negotiating table.
