Bethesda Game Studio has recently joined the CWA Union (Communications Workers of America), and Microsoft has recognized the union as of July 19. This makes Bethesda Game Studio the first Microsoft game studio to be unified across the board.
The announcement was made on the official OneBGS_USA X/Twitter account, and the post goes on to explain that the organization will “advocate for the betterment of every developer at BGS, setting the new standard for our industry.” In a series of follow-up posts, the account explains that its goals for the organization are to have safer work conditions, job security, and compensation transparency, as well as to ensure higher-ups hear their voices to make their wishes into reality.
We, a majority of developers at Bethesda Game Studios Dallas, Rockville, and Austin, are ecstatic to announce the formation of our union with @CWAUnion. Together as #OneBGSUSA, we advocate for the betterment of every developer at BGS, setting the new standard for our industry.
— OneBGS_USA (@OneBGS_USA) July 19, 2024
When it came to voting for unionizing, 241 devs either signed a union authorization card or said they wanted unionize from an online portal. These included the likes of artists, engineers, programmers, and designers.
It’s also worth pointing out that this isn’t the first Bethesda unionization to happen. Earlier last year, ZeniMax Workers United, an organization that focuses on quality assurance, formed a union with the CWA with similar goals as OneBGS_USA. The union is estimated to have roughly 300 employees, and it was voluntarily recognized by Microsoft.
