Summary
- ZeniMax Workers United has authorized a strike vote, following difficult, continued negotiations with Microsoft and ZeniMax.
- Over 300 quality assurance testers at Bethesda are now prepared to take strike action, in an attempt to push for fair wages.
Update: 03/04/2025 02:34 BST – A Microsoft spokesperson has provided a statement to TheGamer on ZeniMax Workers United’s authorization of a strike vote:
“Our quality assurance team is an integral part of our business and is key to our ability to deliver games our players will love. We respect the team’s right to express their viewpoints and are deeply committed to reaching a fair and equitable resolution that acknowledges the teams’ contributions.
There has been substantial progress over the course of the negotiations, reaching tentative agreements on a majority of the topics at the table. We have presented a package proposal that we believe is fair — if accepted it would result in immediate compensation increases, even more robust benefits and is in alignment to the company’s hybrid model of 3 days in office. We look forward to continuing this progress during negotiations.”
Original story follows:
It’s pretty rough right now if you’re a game developer, whether it be the rampant use of generative AI, or layoffs happening every other week. A lot of developers are currently fighting for better working conditions, but one of the upsides to this is that we’ve seen an increase in the number of video game unions over the past few years.
ZeniMax Workers United is one such union, which consists of – you guessed it – workers from ZeniMax-owned studios, which include the likes of Bethesda. It stepped up to the bargaining table with Microsoft and ZeniMax following its foundation in 2023, and at the time, many applauded Microsoft for being one of the few big companies out there willing to voluntarily recognize any unions within the company, and to work “collaboratively” with them.
Bethesda Developers Are Threatening To Go On Strike Due To “Underpayment”
Two years later, it seems as though Microsoft is feeling a lot less cooperative, as it appears the company is being difficult to negotiate with at the bargaining table. In a new Twitter post by the ZeniMax Workers United group, it has been revealed that over 300 quality assurance testers at Bethesda are threatening strike action, thanks to the authorization of a strike vote.
“We’ve had to continuously fight for what should be bare minimum” – Aubrey Litchfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle QA tester.
In a press release shared by the CWA (thanks Kotaku), senior QA tester Zachary Armstrong claimed that workers are unhappy with “underpayment and costly RTO [return to office] initiatives”, and that Microsoft and ZeniMax are undervaluing their labor.
“None of us wishes it had come to this, but if Microsoft and ZeniMax continue to demonstrate at the bargaining table that they’re unwilling to pay us fair wages for the value our labor provides to our games, we’ll be showing them just how valuable our labor is.”
It’s worth noting that this doesn’t mean strike action is going to go ahead – it simply means that a strike could start if Microsoft and ZeniMax continue to be difficult during negotiations. If that does happen, it will probably cause problems for multiple games currently in development at Bethesda, including Doom: The Dark Ages and The Elder Scrolls 6. We’ll have to wait and see whether Microsoft and ZeniMax are willing to play ball.
Bethesda
- Date Founded
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June 28, 1986
- Subsidiaries
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Bethesda Game Studios
- Headquarters
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Rockville, Maryland, United States