Blizzard Entertainment’s Story and Franchise Development (SFD) team has officially voted to unionize with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). This decision marks another significant step in the growing unionization trend within Microsoft and Activision Blizzard.
The SFD team is responsible for a wide range of creative and narrative content for Blizzard’s franchises. Their work includes producing in-house cinematics, animation, trailers, promotional videos, and in-game cutscenes, as well as managing archival materials and historical data. This varied group underscores the comprehensive nature of the unionization effort.
This unionization follows a series of similar actions within Activision Blizzard, under Microsoft’s labor neutrality agreement. Notably, the entire World of Warcraft team unionized just last year, and Overwatch developers followed suit in May. Other notable unionized groups include Raven Software workers, who recently secured their first contract this month, and Zenimax QA workers, who obtained a contract in May. The Bethesda union is also among those that have organized.
Bucky Fisk, a principal editor and member of the organizing committee, commented on the motivation behind the unionization, stating, “After more than a decade working at Blizzard, I’ve seen all the highs and lows. For years, Blizzard has been a place where people could build their careers and stay for decades, but that stability’s been fading. With a union, we’re able to preserve what makes this place special, secure real transparency in how decisions are made, and make sure policies are applied fairly to everyone.”
