Nearly two hundred Overwatch 2 developers have unionized

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Today, I’m thrilled to share that as a passionate fan, I’ve learned that around two hundred developers working on Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 have decided to form a union! This dynamic group of professionals spans various aspects of game development, not confined to just one area. Interestingly, this is the second Blizzard team to unionize, following the World of Warcraft team that did so last July. Intriguingly, this news emerges at a time when the Federal Trade Commission has appealed to halt the company’s acquisition by Microsoft, an attempt which was denied earlier this week.

The Overwatch 2 team has unionized, making it the second Blizzard team to do so

Today’s news came in a press release that was first reported by Kotaku, who also included comments from union members. Simon Hendrick, a tester at Blizzard, commented on the approximately 2000 employees let go by Microsoft last year, saying, “People were suddenly gone without warning and there was nothing we could do about it… What I want to protect most here is the people.” UI artist Sadie Boyd, part of the Overwatch 2 team, added, “We’re more than just numbers on a spreadsheet… We want to create games, but we can’t do that without job security.” The video game industry has seen an alarming number of layoffs in recent years while game and console prices have been steadily increasing. With Microsoft’s historic $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, the console manufacturer now holds a dominant position in the industry, however, at the expense of many studios and developers.

The team was apparently pushing towards unionization as persistent problems such as wage inequality and limitations on working from home persisted. The team is aiming for protections against overtime and assurance of severance during downsizing. The workers emphasized that such security could result in superior games. It’s not difficult to grasp that a team of underpaid, anxious workers who fear sudden termination might struggle to deliver their best work.

With the establishment of the union, the Overwatch 2 team must now engage in contract negotiations. It’s worth noting that Microsoft has a reputation for being slow during these negotiations, keeping other Microsoft teams in limbo for years. However, this is an encouraging initial move that may encourage other teams, both within and outside the Blizzard and Microsoft sphere. For the time being, we can only anticipate future developments from this new union over the upcoming months.

In its initial phase, Overwatch 2 faced a rocky beginning, and some fans have found it hard to forgive the game for not delivering on its promised narrative content. However, recent updates such as Season 16’s Stadium mode, introduced at the end of April, have added an exciting round-based combat mode that allows players to select perks between rounds, modifying their chosen hero’s abilities. The team also revealed a partnership with Street Fighter 6 today, which will see the inclusion of well-known characters like Chun Li and Ryu in the game through new costumes set to arrive later this month. Furthermore, they have finally addressed the long-standing debate of 100 Soldier: 76s versus 1 Winston by setting up a battle between 100 Soldier: 76 units and a single Winston.

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2025-05-09 23:44