Bethesda is facing a turning point in its history that will bring about major changes in the future with potentially significant implications for the rest of the video game industry.
When Activision’s QA team made history by joining a union in 2022, Bethesda officially became the first studio under Microsoft’s umbrella to receive such protection for its employees. The offices in Austin, Dallas, and Rockville are now united under the banner of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) union.
Bethesda Game Studios finally forms a union
The video game industry has unfortunately been rocked by mass layoffs and studio closures in recent years, with more and more artists, developers and engineers eagerly seeking union protection. Some of the most telling examples in this sense include Activision’s QA team in 2022 or even Sega of America earlier this year. Bethesda Game Studios is officially following suit, becoming the first syndicated studio under the Microsoft umbrella.
« We are very happy to announce the formation of a union with the CWA. Together we defend the improvement of the situation of every developer in the group and the establishment of a new standard for our industry. We join our valued colleagues at ZeniMax in this effort to promote better job security, transparency of compensation and flexibility to better develop the games we love. As we look back on our first deal with Microsoft, which should serve as a model for all developers to enter a new era, we hope you will join us in expressing your support
A big step for the studio and the video game industry in general?
The next step for a now unionized Bethesda is to sign a contract with Microsoft. The American giant had, as a reminder, stated that it was open to such a movement regarding Activision’s QA team in 2022. Everything indicates, then, that the project is well underway for a group of much larger scope. It could also motivate other studios, whether under the Xbox umbrella or not, to do the same. Let’s hope, for their own sake, that this is the case. This is done to prevent the massacre that has shaken the video game industry in the broadest sense in recent years.
Source : OneBGS_USA on X.com
