How tech workers made history by unionizing a Microsoft gaming studio 

Workers at Bethesda Game Studios made history this summer with a union win, and staff at the Microsoft-owned firm are now getting ready for next steps. 

Developers at the Rockville-headquartered firm — the home of popular titles like Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Starfield — voted in July to form what became the tech giant’s first “wall-to-wall” union, meaning that most coders and producers who aren’t managers or supervisors can join. 

Now that the union is formed, staff across studio locations in Rockville, Austin and Dallas are starting to form committees, per organizers. They haven’t started negotiations yet. 

“It’s a slow roll upwards,” said Alex Nguyen, a Dallas-based senior artist. “It’s necessary work.”

Nguyen has worked at the company for six years, through a few acquisitions. He started at Escalation Studios, which in 2017 was acquired by Bethesda Game Studios parent ZeniMax and then folded into the Maryland business. Microsoft bought ZeniMax in 2021 for $7.5 billion. 

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

Microsoft voluntarily recognized the union, which organizers took as a positive sign. 

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

Quality assurance workers at ZeniMax formed a union at the start of 2023, laying the groundwork for this movement, per Nguyen. 

That Microsoft has acknowledged the organizers is “huge,” he said. “It gives me a lot of hope for the future of our industry,” he added. “I hope that every video game company recognizes the power of being in a union and the benefits.”

Fighting for flexibility in remote work, paid time off and better benefits

Nguyen felt the need to lead union efforts to foster a healthier work environment for himself and his coworkers. He also cited layoffs as an issue — in 2024 alone, more than 11,000 workers in the industry have been laid off, per a crowdsourced tracker. 

“It essentially boils down to, frankly, caring about your coworkers,” Nguyen said. “And hoping for a better workplace. I think that’s what we all want.”

He noted that organizing by no means prevents layoffs, but helps workers be more “set up for success” in the event it does happen. 

Dusten Jameson, a senior 3D artist who’s been at the Dallas location for nine years, took on the responsibility of getting his local colleagues on board. He got involved because he wanted to help them have more of a voice in decision making from the company. 

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

Organizers are still discussing internally across locations what they hope to negotiate eventually with management. According to Nguyen, they plan to review a swath of policies including flexibility in remote work, paid time off and benefits. 

Collaborating across the country 

Workers in Rockville started the unionization process first late in 2023, per Nguyen, who said he immediately wanted to be a part of the process. By July, a strong majority of workers supported the effort. 

Outreach and education happened from January to April, Nguyen said, calling it the bulk of the work. Right now, his focus is getting workers engaged and involved in the process. 

Roles are evolving and committees are currently forming, per Nguyen. He plans to serve on the election committee, helping vet and choose the stewards who’ll represent workers to management at the negotiating table and throughout the year. 

It was important that all Bethesda Game Studios locations organized together, as worker challenges are similar across geography, he said. 

Seeing the company go through acquisitions caused a sense of disconnect among staff, said Jameson, the senior 3D artist. But the unionization has helped him feel connected to workers — in his town and across the country in Rockville. It’s generally been a bonding experience, he said. 

“I’ve gotten to meet my peers in different studios directly due to their values instead of just their titles,” Jameson said. “There’s so many more people that are an actual person instead of just a name in Slack. It’s been a really nice growing experience.”