Blizzard Entertainment has entered a new chapter in its labor history as more than 450 developers from the Diablo franchise have voted to unionize. Organized under the Communication Workers of America (CWA), this move creates one of the largest “wall-to-wall” unions at a Microsoft-owned studio.
This decision is not an isolated event. In 2022, Raven Software’s quality assurance team created the Game Workers Alliance, marking the first union within Activision Blizzard. Since then, other teams—including those working on World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Blizzard’s Story and Franchise Development unit—have also unionized.
For the Diablo team, the timing is significant. Microsoft has gone through several rounds of layoffs across 2024 and 2025, cutting thousands of jobs in its gaming division. Workers say these cuts, combined with uncertainty around the company’s growing reliance on AI tools, accelerated the push to secure protections.
Why Developers Are Unionizing
Members of Diablo’s Team 3, which includes engineers, designers, artists, and support staff, pointed to three main issues driving unionization:
- Job Security – Recent mass layoffs left many employees fearing they could be dismissed “at the drop of a hat.” A union, they argue, gives them a stronger voice when negotiating protections and severance terms.
- Fair Compensation – Developers say they’ve long dealt with the “passion tax,” where employees accept lower pay relative to other tech jobs because of the prestige of working on iconic games. Union leaders contend that Microsoft and Blizzard can afford to pay more.
- AI and Remote Work Concerns – Organizers worry about management’s push toward generative AI in the development pipeline and the reduction of remote work opportunities. They want contractual safeguards to ensure AI remains a supportive tool rather than a replacement for creative roles, and that employees retain flexibility in how they work.
Unlike Activision Blizzard’s pre-acquisition years—when unionization attempts were often met with resistance—Microsoft has formally recognized the Diablo union. This follows the neutrality agreement Microsoft signed with CWA in 2022 as part of its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Since then, more than 3,500 Microsoft employees across various studios have unionized. The Diablo team’s decision marks one of the biggest single-unit labor victories in the company’s gaming division.
What Unionized Diablo Teams Aim to Achieve
The union will now move toward contract negotiations, where issues like pay equity, crediting policies, layoff procedures, and AI usage will likely dominate the discussion. Organizers also plan to push for remote work flexibility and stronger recognition for employees’ contributions to shipped games.
For many Diablo developers, however, the most immediate benefit has already been realized: community. As one organizer put it, “Breaking down silos and building connections across Blizzard has been one of the greatest rewards of this process.”
See also: How to Get Ancestral Bounty Cache in Diablo 4 & Finish Cache Claimer Fast
At first glance, labor negotiations might seem distant from the experience of slaying demons in Diablo IV. But the push for unionization directly affects the games we play. Developers argue that greater job stability and fairer working conditions mean better games in the long run, as teams can focus more on creativity and less on job insecurity.
With the Diablo franchise being a central pillar of Blizzard’s portfolio—including Diablo IV, Diablo II: Resurrected, and ongoing live service support—this unionization marks a pivotal step in shaping the future of one of gaming’s most beloved series.
