Employees at Id Software, the company behind Doom, have decided to form a union

In a significant development, employees at Id Software, the Texas studio renowned for creating the Doom series, have decisively moved to establish a union. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union confirmed that 165 out of approximately 185 employees voted in favor of forming a bargaining unit. These employees will now be part of the CWA’s Local 6215.

This union formation is characterized as "wall-to-wall," indicating comprehensive representation across various departments of Id Software. Andrew Willis, an Id Software producer who is also part of the CWA Local 6215 organizing committee, emphasized the necessity of such an organizing effort, stating it empowers developers to regain control of the industry. He highlighted the union's role in fostering the creation of quality products by ensuring developers have essential benefits and security beyond mere profit margins.

Asserted by Caroline Pierrot, a senior VFX artist and member of the organizing committee, the unionizing process is critical for providing employees with a voice in pertinent decisions impacting them. She remarked how, amid the sector's volatility in recent years, unions fortify worker power and promise a say in shaping the future of the industry.

In June 2022, Microsoft agreed to a labor neutrality pact with the Communications Workers of America, which ensures any union formed within the company receives due acknowledgment. This agreement played a pivotal role when CWA later sought the European Commission's consent for Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Following the neutrality agreement, several Microsoft gaming divisions have embraced union representation. By July 2024, nearly 250 developers at Bethesda Game Studios and later, workers at ZeniMax Online Studios, voted in favor of unionization.

In the year 2025 alone, numerous unions were established, notably in Blizzard's story and franchise sector, Diablo's development team, as well as Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble crews. Furthermore, Activision's user researchers chose to unionize, and Raven Software successfully obtained a collective bargaining agreement with Microsoft, marking a significant step following a three-year unionization journey.