Employees are in constant fear of being laid off.
More than 450 developers working on the Diablo series at Blizzard Entertainment have voted to form a union under the Communications Workers of America (CWA). This decision was a response to growing employee dissatisfaction with working conditions, including the constant threat of mass layoffs, the so-called "passion tax," and overtime caused by Microsoft's drive to actively integrate artificial intelligence into game development.
According to Kelly Yeo, a Diablo producer and member of the organizing committee, the mass layoffs carried out by Microsoft were a key factor in pushing developers to unionize.
With each new wave of layoffs, I see the fear of my colleagues growing, because it seems that no effort can protect us.
Yeo emphasized that creating a union is the first step towards fighting for fair working conditions in an industry where the fear of losing one's job has become the norm.
Developers also expressed concern about the "passion tax" - a practice in which companies take advantage of employees' love for their work to pay them less than in other technology industries.
My career as a developer has been associated with my colleagues and I paying this "passion tax" by working in an industry we love.
None of us should live with the constant anxiety that we can be fired at any moment. A union allows us to come together to create great games and protect developers from the pressure of layoffs, overtime, and the "passion tax."
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