The Overwatch team from Activision Blizzard has formed a Wall Wall Syndicat under the American communications workers (CWA). The union, which was recognized by the parent company Microsoft, includes nearly 200 developers “in all disciplines”, from design and production to quality insurance, said in its ad. This is the last development of a broader organizational effort of video game workers, who aim to guarantee better employment protections and improve their working conditions. Last summer, the team behind more than 500 employees and quality insurance a few months before that.
According to the CWA announcement on Friday, “a neutral arbitrator confirmed today that a overwhelming majority of workers had signed a union authorization card or indicated that they wanted a union representation via an online portal”. The members of the new Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-Cwa join more than 2,000 workers from other studios belonging to Microsoft who have unionized with the CWA. “Syndicalization consists in having a seat at the table so that we can work with leadership to build better more sustainable working conditions,” said Jess Castillo, principal tests of tests II and member of the organizing committee, in a press release.
