Overwatch 2 developers at Blizzard Entertainment form union under Microsoft

The Overwatch 2 development team at Blizzard Entertainment has unionized, as shared by the Communication Workers of America (CWA) on Friday.

This "wall-to-wall" union includes almost 200 developers, including artists, engineers, and other non-management roles. It's also the second union formed at Blizzard Entertainment, with the World of Warcraft team unionizing back in July 2024.

“Game developers behind Activision Blizzard’s hit franchise Overwatch have joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA), becoming the latest group of video game workers at Microsoft-owned studios to form a wall-to-wall union,” the CWA announced in a press release.

Outside of Blizzard Entertainment, several other unions have formed across game development studios under Microsoft, including at Activision User Research and ZeniMax Online Studios.

It also comes as the CWA has formed an industry-wide union for game developers to join, including any workers that were recently laid off.

Over 20,000 workers in the gaming industry were laid off in 2024, including over 2,000 at Microsoft, with many being laid off from Activision Blizzard King.

According to some workers speaking with Kotaku, the primary motivation was protection, with a serious effort for unionization starting after seeing coworkers laid off from Blizzard Entertainment. Other issues include solving pay disparity and lifting work from home restrictions.

In April, ZeniMax quality assurance workers voted to authorize a strike if necessary, with the union pushing for better pay and the right to work from home.