How did the tech workers organize the organization at Microsoft’s gaming center

The staff of Bethesda Game Studios made history this summer with the success of the organization, and the staff of the Microsoft-owned firm is now preparing for the next steps.

Developers at the Rockville-headquartered firm — home to popular titles such as Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Starfield — voted in July to create what became the company’s first “wall-to-wall” -to-wall”, which means that coders and other developers’. t managers or supervisors can enter.

Now that the union is in place, employees across the studio’s Rockville, Austin and Dallas locations are starting to form committees, according to organizers. They have not started negotiations.

“It’s slowly going up,” said Alex Nguyen, a Dallas senior. “It’s a necessary job.”

Nguyen has worked at the company for six years, with several acquisitions. He started at Escalation Studios, which in 2017 was bought by Bethesda Game Studios’ parent, ZeniMax, and joined the Maryland business. Microsoft bought ZeniMax in 2021 for $7.5 billion.

About 240 producers in Texas and Maryland have signed union authorization cards or indicated desired union representation through an online portal, according to organizers. The workers are part of the Communications Workers of America, and will be members of CWA Local 2108 in Maryland or CWA Local 6215 in Texas. Canadian workers also filed for union recognition.

Microsoft voluntarily accepted this association, which the organizers took as a good sign.

“We continue to support our employees’ right to choose how they are represented in the workplace, and we will engage in positive discussions with the CWA as we work to reach a collective bargaining agreement,” the spokesperson said. he told Technical.ly.

Quality assurance staff at ZeniMax formed the organization in early 2023, laying the foundation for the organization, according to Nguyen.

That Microsoft has received “great” editors, he said. “It gives me great hope for the future of our industry,” he added. “I hope every video game company realizes the power of unity and the benefits.”

Strive for remote work flexibility, paid time off and great benefits

Nguyen felt the need to lead union efforts to promote better health for himself and his colleagues. He also cited the recession as a problem – in 2024 alone, more than 11,000 workers will be laid off in the industry, according to the crowdsourced tracker.

“Basically, it’s about caring about your teammates,” Nguyen said. “And hoping for a better place to work. I think that’s what we all want.”

He noted that organizing doesn’t prevent layoffs at all, but helps employees “set themselves up for success” when it happens.

“Happy and healthy developers make better games.”

Dusten Jameson, 3d senior singer

Dusten Jameson, a senior 3D artist who has been in the Dallas area for nine years, took it upon himself to install his local colleagues. He got involved because he wanted to help them have more of a voice in decision-making within the company.

“A big part of it is, happy and healthy devs make better games,” Jameson said.

Organizers have been consulting internally at all sites about what they hope to communicate to management. According to Nguyen, they plan to explore a range of policies that include flexibility in remote work, paid time off and benefits.

Collaboration across the country

Rockville workers began unionization before the end of 2023, according to Nguyen, who said he immediately wanted to be a part of the process. In July, many workers supported this effort.

The outreach and education took place from January to April, Nguyen said, calling it the bulk of the work. Now, his goal is to contribute to the work and contribute to the work.

Roles are changing and committees are forming, according to Nguyen. He plans to serve on the election committee, assist the doctor and elect managers who will represent workers to management at the bargaining table throughout the year.

It was important for all Bethesda Game Studios locations to be organized together, as staffing challenges are the same across geographies, he said.

Seeing the company continue to make purchases created a sense of alienation among employees, said Jameson, a senior 3D artist. But the union helped him feel connected to workers — in his hometown and across the country in Rockville. Overall it was a very unifying experience, he said.

“I got to meet my peers at different studios directly because of their values ​​rather than just their titles,” Jameson said. “There are a lot of people who are real people as opposed to just having a name on Slack. It’s been a great growing experience.”