Nearly 1,900 Blizzard workers ratify historic union contract
A landmark union contract is now in place for nearly 1,900 workers at Blizzard Entertainment. The agreement, ratified after years of negotiations and reported by GameSpot and Eurogamer, covers employees across major teams for games like Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Warcraft Rumble, as well as QA and tech staff.
According to Eurogamer's report, the deal sets new, industry-first protections. It mandates that Blizzard must bargain with the union, represented by the Communications Workers of America, over the use of generative AI in the workplace.
The contract also provides stronger safeguards against layoffs. The CWA stated it grants workers "the right to be 'recalled' into open positions" across the company for 14 months following a layoff announcement. Negotiations also secured an additional four weeks of severance pay.
In a statement provided to outlets, Blizzard president Johanna Faries called the agreement "a significant milestone." An Overwatch QA worker, Simon Hedrick, told Eurogamer the contract is "the beginning of a new era" and expressed hope its protections would ripple out to benefit the wider games industry.
