Diablo developers vote to create 450+ strong union

The Communication Workers of America announced today that over 450 workers at Activision Blizzard who’ve worked on the Diablo franchise, have voted to unionize. According to the CWA, the unit includes a wide swathe of workers across the company, including developers, artists, engineers and more. Microsoft has also recognized the union.

Blizzard staff speaking about the union vote noted the potential workplace problems that the union vote would avert. Most recently, Microsoft laid off over 9,000 employees, which included staff at Blizzard. Jason Justice, president of CWA Local 9510 — one of the chapters under which the Blizzard members would be organizing — said, “What’s happening here is part of a much larger story about turning the tide in an industry that has long overlooked its labor. Entertainment workers across film, television, music, and now video games are standing together to have a seat at the table.”