When Xbox was looking to complete its purchase of Activision Blizzard King, one of the factors that helped get it over the line was agreeing to a neutrality framework with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). Ensuring that game developers under Microsoft and Xbox could unionize without fear or opposition from management. Thousands of workers have unionized since, though that hasn't stopped mass layoffs at Microsoft following the closure of the ABK deal. Now, as yet another case of mass layoffs looms over Xbox, the CWA held a press conference today, June 29, to make it clear they are ready to fight back against these extreme cuts, and have no intention of stopping.
Wccftech was one of more than 200 participants attending the virtual press conference over Zoom, which consisted of opening remarks from Frank Arce, vice president of CWA District 9 followed by statements and stories told by CWA members working at Xbox. Arce set the tone for the conference by making it clear at the top that all Xbox workers, not just those who have joined the CWA through one of the unions currently established under Microsoft and its Xbox division, "will not be treated as disposable."
Following Arce's comments, multiple developers working within Xbox at different studios in different departments, including ZeniMax Online, Blizzard, and Activision, shared prepared statements describing their careers, what led them to join the CWA, and what they are demanding of Microsoft and Xbox leadership.
For Elder Scrolls Online developer Morgan Goin, it was the shuttering of Arkane Austin, a studio she had hoped to retire with, that led her to join the CWA. An experience she recounted as being a complete shock, as employees at the studio were reassured by management prior to shuttering that they were hitting their required goals.
For quality assurance tester Andrew Snell, who has been with Activision for six years now, it was the first time he lost his job from Activision as part of a round of contractor cuts and was able to successfully reapply to join the team.
Everyone who spoke came to the CWA in their own way, though they all had the same message. That they and the rest of their unionized members are ready to fight for each other and all Xbox employees to receive "common sense" layoff protections. Things like advance notice of layoffs, hiring freezes to give employees first crack at potentially transferring to open roles rather than looking towards external hires, and strong severance packages for those who are ultimately impacted.
They emphasized that they're looking for Microsoft to agree to protections that ultimately give employees the peace of mind that, if layoffs do happen and they are impacted, the company has truly exhausted every other possible option to try and avoid simply firing thousands of workers en masse. "Everyone at Xbox deserves long-term certainty on where they stand should layoffs happen," said Alison Veneto, editor at Blizzard and CWA member.
Veneto and others who spoke also pointed to the gap between what Microsoft does and what it says, like how it announced yet another price hike for Xbox Series consoles, citing issues due to a memory shortage that it is complicit in by investing billions in AI. "They're just choosing not to protect us," said Mahreen Fatima, senior environment artist at Blizzard on Diablo IV.
They also spoke to how Microsoft continues to drag its feet on contract negotiations, with Goin pointing to Microsoft only allotting 4 hours per month for negotiations, which was down from a previous 12 hours per month. An issue not caused by the members of the union's bargaining committee being unable to meet more often than that.
When the reported layoffs are announced, the CWA and its 3,500+ members will be calling Microsoft to the bargaining table once again, and have made it abundantly clear with today's press conference that they do not intend to stop fighting.
Sherveen Uduwana, treasurer for the United Video Game Workers, who was there in solidarity with fellow CWA members, added as part of his closing remarks that while Microsoft and Xbox leaders have presented these cuts as a "reset," they are anything but. The reality, as Uduwana put it, is that these mass cuts only continue a pattern of mass cuts that have not worked for Xbox so far. A true 'reset' would work to try something different for once, and as Microsoft looks primed to deliver its latest round of mass layoffs in the last few years, these cuts are no different than what we've seen before.
"Devs aren't asking for multi-million dollar salaries, just protections that allow them to focus on making great games," Uduwana said. "We're asking Xbox to treat layoffs as the failure of leadership they are."
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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