Workers at Maryland-based Bethesda Game Studios, the company behind blockbuster games such as “Starfield,” the “Elder Scrolls” series and the “Fallout” series, have formed a union, according to the Communications Workers of America.
A “majority” of developers at the company’s locations in Dallas, Austin and Rockville voted to unionize, according to a post on social media from the union.
The CWA said 241 workers, including “artists, engineers, programmers and designers,” have either signed union authorization cards or indicated through an online portal they want union representation.
The workers at Bethesda Game Studios now represent the first wall-to-wall union at a Microsoft video game studio, according to the union.
Microsoft has voluntarily recognized the union, according to the CWA. Microsoft, Bethesda’s parent company, did not immediately respond to calls or emails requesting comment Friday evening.
“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,” Mandi Parker, a CWA member and senior system designer at Bethesda’s Maryland office, said in a statement.
Microsoft has recognized unions at other game studios, including workers at Zenimax Studios and Activision, according to The Verge.
The workers will be members of CWA Local 2108 in Maryland and CWA Local 6215 in Texas.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome these workers into our union and are confident that together, we will secure a brighter future for all workers in the video game industry,” Johnny Brown, president of CWA Local 2108, said in a statement.
