Yet another Microsoft studio has taken advantage of the labour neutrality agreement the company signed with the CWA (Communications Workers of America) to get its acquisition of Activision Blizzard through, and this time it's DOOM developer id Software, with 165 developers at the Texas-based studio voting in favour of forming a wall-to-wall union.
Announced with a press release from the CWA, union members cited wanting to protect elements of their work, like being able to work remotely, ensuring "responsible use of AI," as lead services programmer at id Software and union member, Chris Hays, told Aftermath in an interview.
"The wall-to-wall organizing effort at id Software was much needed; it’s incredibly important that developers across the industry unite to push back on all the unilateral workplace changes that are being handed down from industry executives," said id Software producer and union organizer Andrew Willis in a press release. "The union is a way for us, the developers, to take back control of the industry we love and to ensure that it delivers high-quality products from high-quality workers who have health benefits and longevity beyond quarterly profits."
This past August, 450 developers working on the Diablo series at Blizzard voted in favour of forming a union with the CWA, and in May 2025, ZeniMax Workers United QA were able to reach a tentative deal with Microsoft to finally ratify their union contract after two years of negotiating.
"Remote work isn't a perk," Hays added in the CWA press release. "It's a necessity for our health, our families, and our access needs. RTO policies should not be handed down from executives with no consideration for accessibility or our well-being. With a union, we will have the opportunity to make sure that everyone has a voice in the things that matter most to us."
Now that the developers at id Software have voted in favour of the union, they will have to go through the process of getting a contract agreement and then getting that agreement ratified. It took the ZeniMax Workers United QA union two years and a strike to get their contract done, which doesn't bode well for the other unions under Microsoft currently trying to get a contract agreed on and signed. But voting for the union is still a major step towards better working conditions for the developers.
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has changed the video game industry in a myriad of ways, but perhaps one of the most significant ways will end up being how it allowed a labour movement within the video game industry to gain serious momentum.
"I'm very proud to be a part of this effort to organize our studio, to have a voice in decisions that directly affect myself and my coworkers," said organizing member and senior VFX artist at id Software, Caroline Pierrot. "In an industry that has proven to be very unstable over the last few years, more unions means more power to the workers and a real shot at shaping the future of the industry for the better."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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