The division responsible for story and franchise development at Blizzard has decided to form a union

Employees in Blizzard's story and franchise development sector have formed a union, joining the ranks of nearly 3,000 other workers in Microsoft-affiliated studios who have organized under the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The workers showed strong support for unionization, either by signing authorization cards or voicing their preference through an online portal. Microsoft, the employer, has acknowledged the union.

The team at SFD is responsible for Blizzard's cinematics, animation, and narrative outputs, producing trailers, videos, in-game cutscenes, and diverse narrative content linked to Blizzard's franchises.

Jason Justice, president of CWA Local 9510, stated, “These employees are raising the bar for animation, cinematics, and storytelling within the video game world, delivering the captivating content that has become a hallmark of Blizzard franchises. We are thrilled to have them as part of our union family.”

Justice added that their choice to unionize marks a significant stride towards enabling every worker at Blizzard and Microsoft to have a say in the creation of their content.

Bucky Fisk, a principal editor and organizing committee member, noted, “Having been at Blizzard for over a decade, I’ve witnessed both successes and challenges. Blizzard has been a place for building long-term careers, but that certainty has been diminishing. With a union, we can safeguard what makes this environment unique, ensure transparency in decision-making, and guarantee fair application of policies for all.”

In a related development, workers at Raven Software in Wisconsin faced challenges last year when they lodged a complaint against the studio and its parent companies, Activision and Microsoft, for not entering negotiations. However, they recently achieved a landmark agreement with Microsoft.