While CEOs got dressed up for the Game Awards, 461 workers at Zenimax Online Studios unionised

Hidden launch of the game during the awards ceremony is cool. But you know what’s cooler? Secret creation of a trade union. While many in the gaming industry staged a night of advertising and blockbusters, one group of American workers quietly succeeded in organizing something of their own. As announced, Zenimax Online Studios employees have formed a union with 461 members. on the Bluesky social network last night.

Members include engineers, artists, web developers and game designers. Most of those workers are based in Maryland, but others are scattered throughout California, New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Texas, according to the union.

“By forming a union, we look forward to collectively pushing for workplace improvements,” they say, “including job security, protections from artificial intelligence, and better wages and benefits—in an industry we are so passionate about.”

This reference to “job security” is an obvious concern given the huge number of layoffs in recent years, thousands of which have occurred at Microsoft-owned studios. Developers Zenimax Online Studios The Elder Scrolls Onlineand are themselves owned by Windows merchants.

Microsoft has officially recognized the union, but you should know that the labor agreement following Activision Blizzard’s massive acquisition last year essentially means they’re doing it because they must do this. Which partly explains why Zenimax quality control specialists They also recently managed to unionize, perhaps more easily than the other company’s studio.

The Zenimax Online union, which formed last night, was formed under the Communications Workers of America, a parent union that has organized workers in different states for several years. Earlier this year, this parent group also helped another group of Elder Scrolls developers from Bethesda Game Studios also create your own trade unionconsisting of 241 workers.

“We’re working against some pretty big corporations,” a CWA organizer told Nick. recently spoke with them about their organizing campaign.“The power imbalance is very obvious. So you try to organize secretly so that people cannot be completely prevented from exercising their rights before they even have a chance to understand those rights.”

I can’t think of a better sneak attack than to do this as soon as Geoff Keighley takes the stage. Good job.