Bethesda Game Studios becomes first studio to unionise under Microsoft

In recent years, there have been efforts across the games industry to unionise workers, allowing collective bargaining for better working conditions. Microsoft revealed that it would voluntarily recognise unions at its game studios previously. Now, Bethesda Game Studios has become the first gaming company under Microsoft to complete the unionisation process.

Bethesda Game Studios is now part of the CWA, one of the largest workers unions in the US. In a statement, a Bethesda spokesperson confirmed the move, saying: “We are so excited to announce our union at Bethesda Game Studio and join the movement sweeping across the video game industry. It is clear that every worker can benefit from bringing democracy into the workplace and securing a protected voice on the job. We’re thrilled to get down to brass tacks and win a fair contract, proving that our unity is a source of real power to positively shape our working conditions, our lives, and the company as a whole.”

Microsoft has had dealings with the CWA previously. The union supported Microsoft's plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, as the company had made it known that it would be friendly towards unionisation efforts. By contrast, Activision executives were actively working to squash any and all unionisation efforts prior to being bought out, leading to employee strikes at various studios, including Blizzard and Raven Software.

Bethesda Game Studios is one of several studios under the Bethesda umbrella. It is the main studio, responsible for games like Starfield, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.

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KitGuru Says: With Bethesda Game Studios now being part of a union, it seems we will see more unionisation efforts at studios across the industry. Hopefully, it can lead to better working conditions and fairer treatment in an industry notoriously known for churning through talent with cyclical layoffs.

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