Quality assurance (QA) workers at Blizzard’s Albany and Austin offices have ratified a significant union contract with Microsoft. This development marks the third union agreement for the company and encompasses a comprehensive three-year contract for over 60 QA workers. The contract includes significant provisions such as guaranteed wage increases, regulations on artificial intelligence (AI) usage, protections for proper crediting, accommodations for disabilities, protections for immigrant workers, and restrictions on mandatory crunch time.
This contract follows prior agreements at ZeniMax and Raven Software, indicating a growing trend of unionization within the industry. A recent survey shows that support for unionization is strong, with 82% of workers in the US game industry expressing support for unions.
In contrast to this positive development at Blizzard, Ubisoft is currently experiencing internal discord. Union representatives have called for the resignation of CEO Yves Guillemot, coinciding with an imminent international strike.
Other notable industry updates include MachineGames’ implementation of a return-to-office mandate, the success of ‘Ghost of Yotei’ in surpassing its predecessor, Valve’s delay in releasing Steam Machine details due to RAM shortages, and the announcement of further layoffs by Sumo Digital.

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Over 60 QA workers at Blizzard's Albany and Austin offices have ratified a three-year union contract with Microsoft, marking the company's third union agreement. The contract includes guaranteed wage increases, AI usage regulations, crediting protections, disability accommodations, immigrant worker protections, and restrictions on mandatory crunch time. This follows similar agreements at ZeniMax and Raven Software, reflecting growing unionization support in the gaming industry where 82% of US workers favor unions.

Blizzard QA Workers Ratify Union Contract with Microsoft