ZeniMax Media quality assurance workers reach tentative contract with Microsoft after almost two years

ZeniMax Media quality assurance (QA) workers have reached a tentative contract with Microsoft after almost two years of negotiations.

That news comes via a press release from the Communication Workers of America (CWA), sharing on Friday that the union — ZeniMax Workers United includes over 300 employees at studios that work on Bethesda Softworks titles like Starfield and DOOM: The Dark Ages — has reached a tentative agreement.

"Video games have been the revenue titan of the entire entertainment industry for years, and the workers who develop these games are too often exploited for their passion and creativity. Organizing unions, bargaining for a contract, and speaking with one collective voice has allowed workers to take back the autonomy we all deserve,” said Jessee Leese, QA tester at ZeniMax and ZeniMax Workers United-CWA bargaining committee member.

Included in the contract are "across-the-board wage increases" and higher minimum salaries for workers. The contract also covers protections against arbitrary dismissal and grievance procedures, as well as a crediting policy that ensures QA testers are recognized for their work on different games.

The tentative contract also includes a previously-announced agreement for AI in games, allowing the workers a say in how the technology is used.

ZeniMax Workers United will hold contract explanation meetings in the coming weeks, with a vote to ratify the contract expected to be done by June 20, 2025.

A long road to this point

ZeniMax Workers United was the first gaming union formed at Microsoft, with QA workers voting for a union in January 2023. Microsoft chose to voluntarily recognize the union as part of its stated policy on neutrality that was adopted as the company worked to acquire Activision Blizzard King.

The union began holding talks for a contract later in the year, talks that have taken time to yield fruit. Earlier in 2025, the union voted to authorize a strike if talks continued without any progress.

While ZeniMax Workers United is the first gaming union at Microsoft to reach a tentative contract, the workers are far from alone.

Several other unions have been organized at Microsoft-owned gaming studios over last year, including "wall-to-wall" unions at Bethesda Game Studios and ZeniMax Online Studios, as well as Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft development teams.

Personally, I'm quite thrilled to see this. I know it's been hard at times, but the people making the games we enjoy deserve protections, and the unions at Microsoft are clearly leading the way.