Day: August 12, 2025

Blizzard’s Story and Franchise Development Team Votes to Unionize

Irvine, Calif. – Workers from Blizzard’s Story and Franchise Development (SFD) team have voted overwhelmingly in favor of union representation with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), either through signing union authorization cards or using an online portal. The workers will become members of CWA Local 9510, based in Orange County, California, and Microsoft has acknowledged their union, reports 24brussels.

“After more than a decade working at Blizzard, I’ve seen all the highs and lows. For years, Blizzard has been a place where people could build their careers and stay for decades, but that stability’s been fading,” said Bucky Fisk, a principal editor and member of the organizing committee. He emphasized that union representation will help preserve the unique culture at Blizzard and promote transparency in decision-making processes.

Sammi Kay, an associate producer and fellow organizing committee member, noted the significance of their actions over the past months amid industry-wide changes for video game workers. “With organizing, we’re able to build a future better than we found it,” she stated.

The SFD team is responsible for producing cinematics, animation, and narrative content for Blizzard franchises, making this unionization a precedent-setting move in the North American gaming industry. They join nearly 3,000 workers at Microsoft-owned studios who have organized with CWA to improve working conditions following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023.

John Giarratana, a cinematic producer, expressed optimism about the future, stating that the union aims to protect colleagues from precarious policies and job security issues resulting from layoffs. “Organizing gives us an opportunity to make our workplace better and safer,” he affirmed.

Jason Justice, president of CWA Local 9510, welcomed the newly unionized workers, declaring their decision as setting a new standard for animation and storytelling in the gaming sector. He highlighted that this effort ensures that all Blizzard and Microsoft workers have a voice in shaping their working conditions.

This announcement signals a broader movement within the tech and gaming industries, with over 6,000 workers in the U.S. and Canada having organized with the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) since its inception five years ago. Recently, workers at Raven Software secured a landmark contract with Microsoft, following a similar agreement by ZeniMax QA developers with the company.

About CODE-CWA

The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) represents a network of worker-organizers and their staff dedicated to empowering workers in the tech, gaming, and digital sectors across the U.S. and Canada. As a project of the Communications Workers of America, CODE-CWA advocates for justice in the workplace and the community for its members, who span various industries.