Summary
- ZeniMax Online Studios, known for developing The Elder Scrolls Online, has unionized with ZOS United-CWA.
- Workers hope that the union can create protections against layoffs and workplace exploitation.
- The now-unionized ZeniMax Online Studios will continue to work under Microsoft on The Elder Scrolls Online.
ZeniMax Online Media, most famous for developing The Elder Scrolls Online, has unionized. The subsidiary of Microsoft-owned ZeniMax Media is now the latest member of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), a nationwide union covering companies across the entertainment, communications, and information industries. How or if it will affect ESO and future titles is uncertain, but ZeniMax Online hopes it will give employees some security and a better working environment.
The announcement comes on the heels of a months-long effort to set up the organization and negotiate with Microsoft. Roughly 300 ZeniMax QA testers voted to unionize as far back as January 2023, with labor disputes eventually resulting in a November 2024 strike. Now that the strike is over, it seems the group has made some progress, as its union is now official.
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The union, dubbed ZOS United-CWA, announced its official launch on BlueSky on December 12, 2024. Its parent company immediately recognized it as well, as Microsoft has previously pledged to cooperate with unions, hoping to avoid major disputes and controversies. In the post, ZOS United-CWA said it would push for workplace improvements like ensuring job security and protecting employees from AI. While it didn’t mention outsourcing or remote work concerns, these will likely also play a role in the union’s work, considering they’re what drove ZeniMax Online’s strike in November.
ZeniMax Online Joins a Wave of Video Game Unions
ZeniMax Online is now part of a growing movement of video game studios unionizing. It’s not the first Microsoft-owned business to do so, either. Earlier in 2024, Bethesda Game Studios unionized under the CWA, the same organization ZeniMax Online has joined. A few days later, development teams behind World of Warcraft did the same. The trend follows a series of layoffs in the industry and growing concerns over AI-related job loss and skill devaluing. How these unions will shape the future of the industry and its use of technologies like AI is unclear, but their rising popularity could spur similar moves in other studios.
The now-unionized ZeniMax Online Studios will continue to work under Microsoft on ESO, potentially under more dev-friendly conditions if the labor group achieves its goals. Amid all these changes, ZeniMax Online is also working on a new title, though details on the project remain sparse. How the unionization will affect the development of that game is uncertain, and any changes may not be noticeable to fans, as the studio has yet to release any specifics about it. How the wider video game industry will respond is likewise a mystery for now, but the growing trend of developer unions is one to watch.
ZeniMax Online Studios
- Date Founded
- August 1, 2007
- Headquarters
- Hunt Valley, Maryland
- Subsidiaries
- Bethesda Softworks