Approximately 1,900 unionized employees at Blizzard Entertainment have successfully ratified their inaugural contract, marking a significant development following years of negotiations. This new agreement ensures that the company must now negotiate with staff regarding the implementation of generative artificial intelligence in game development and provides enhanced protections against potential layoffs.
The contract encompasses all union-represented personnel across Blizzard's World of Warcraft, Warcraft Rumble, Hearthstone, Overwatch, and Diablo teams, along with employees from QA, Platform and Technology, and Story and Franchise Development units. The Communications Workers of America labor union has described the contract as "historic."
Under the terms of the contract, Blizzard is obligated to "discuss, evaluate, and bargain over the usage of artificial intelligence in the workplace." Furthermore, employees have secured a recall right, allowing them to be considered for open positions within any Blizzard bargaining unit for 14 months following a layoff announcement. This provision is a first for the video game industry. Union members also negotiated an additional four weeks of severance pay in the event of layoffs.
"This contract marks the beginning of a new era at Blizzard Entertainment, but it doesn't stop with us," said Overwatch QA worker Simon Hedrick. "I look forward to the day that everyone in the industry can enjoy the protections that this contract affords us, like increased severance and recall rights in the event of a layoff and the ability to grieve injustices in the workplace."
Unionization efforts at Blizzard have been ongoing for years and have seen significant growth. This agreement comes at a time when other major companies, such as Xbox, have implemented substantial job cuts. Blizzard president Johanna Faries stated that the new agreement "marks a significant milestone and reflects our shared commitment to continuing to work together in support of our teams and our players."