Microsoft and ZeniMax Media quality assurance employees reach a preliminary agreement on contract terms, ending a nearly two-year-long negotiation period.
Gaming union workers at ZeniMax Media have reached a tentative agreement with Microsoft on a new contract, ending almost two years of negotiations. According to a press release from the Communications Workers of America (CWA), over 300 quality assurance employees at studios producing titles such as Starfield and DOOM: The Dark Ages are part of the union, ZeniMax Workers United.
"For years, video game workers have been unfairly exploited for their passion and creativity. By forming unions, bargaining for fair contracts, and speaking collectively, we can reclaim the autonomy we deserve," said Jessee Leese, a QA tester at ZeniMax and member of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA bargaining committee.
The tentative agreement outlines across-the-board wage increases, higher minimum salaries, protections against arbitrary dismissal, grievance procedures, and a crediting policy that gives QA testers recognition for their work on multiple games. The terms also include a previously announced agreement concerning the use of AI in games, allowing workers to have a say in its application.
In the coming weeks, ZeniMax Workers United will hold meetings to explain the details of the contract, with a ratification vote scheduled for June 2025.
The union was the first to be formed at Microsoft-owned gaming studios, with QA workers voting for a union in January 2023. This comes as Microsoft adopt a stated policy on neutrality as part of their acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. Since then, wall-to-wall unions have been established at Bethesda Game Studios and ZeniMax Online Studios, as well as the Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft development teams at Blizzard Entertainment.
The push for unionization in the North American game industry has gained significant momentum, with an industry-wide union launched in March 2025.
[1] https://twitter.com/ZeniMaxQAUnion/status/1634526278451794946[2] https://twitter.com/CWAUnion/status/1634526488134382593[3] https://twitter.com/CWAUnion/status/1634526290568202243[4] https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2023-01-11-zenimax-workers-vote-to-unionize-at-bethesda-as-gamers-union-takes-shaped
- As Microsoft adopt a stated policy on neutrality as part of their acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, the union formed at ZeniMax Media's QA workers has paved the way for other gaming studios to follow.
- Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media marks a significant shift in the gaming industry, with the Surface Laptop and Xbox becoming part of a larger family of products under the Microsoft umbrella.
- The tentative agreement reached between gaming union workers at ZeniMax Media and Microsoft includes updates in the use of technology, such as AI in games, ensuring that workers have a say in its application, a trend likely to be seen in other Microsoft-owned studios like Microsoft Studios and Mojang.
- In the finance and business sector, technology companies like Microsoft are consistently emphasizing the importance of working conditions, as demonstrated by the new contract signed with the union representing ZeniMax Workers United.
- The Surface Laptop and Windows may not be directly involved in the gaming sector of Microsoft, but as the company evolves and expands, the influence of the gaming industry will certainly impact its future products and services.
- In the midst of rapidly advancing technology, unionization in the gaming industry is proving to be a powerful tool for workers, as they strive to create fair and more equitable work environments, similar to the efforts of unions in other branches of the technology industry like Google and Facebook.
