Bethesda Game Studios employees formed a ‘wall-to-wall’ union

Employees of Bethesda Game Studios — the Microsoft-owned game developer that creates the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises — are joining the Communications Workers of America.

Quality assurance testers at Bethesda’s parent organization ZeniMax unionized last year, becoming Microsoft’s first official union in the United States. In its announcement, the CWA called Bethesda’s new union “the first wall-to-wall union at a Microsoft game studio” because it spans development teams and job positions, including artists, engineers, programmers, and designers.

The CWA says the union will represent a total of 241 employees who have either signed union cards or indicated through an online portal that they want to join. It also says Microsoft has recognized the union (this is a voluntary move that avoids an election and occurs before actual contract negotiations).

A Microsoft spokesperson told VentureBeat that the company “supports employees’ right to choose how they are represented in the workplace” and that it “will engage in good faith negotiations with the CWA.” (TechCrunch has also contacted Microsoft for comment.)

“We’re very excited to announce our union at Bethesda Game Studios and join the ongoing movement across the video game industry,” Bethesda senior systems designer Mandy Parker said in a statement. “It’s clear that bringing democracy to the workplace and gaining a safe voice on the job can benefit every employee.”