The storytellers behind Blizzard's Story and Franchise Development team have decided to unionize. Following the results of a union-authorization vote, Blizzard's SFD will now join the Communications Workers of America in Orange County, California. Additionally, Microsoft has voluntarily recognized the SFD team's union vote.
There have been two previous unionization votes at Blizzard in the past year. In July 2024, the developers behind World of Warcraft voted to unionize and joined CWA. The Overwatch 2 team passed a similar vote in May 2025, and also joined CWA.
One of the SFD union organizers, Buddy Fisk, shared a statement through CWA citing the increasingly frequent layoffs in the video game industry as a driving force behind this vote.
"After more than a decade working at Blizzard, I've seen all the highs and lows," said Fisk. "For years, Blizzard has been a place where people could build their careers and stay for decades, but that stability's been fading. With a union, we're able to preserve what makes this place special, secure real transparency in how decisions are made, and make sure policies are applied fairly to everyone."
During the latest round of layoffs at Microsoft last month, Blizzard lost many members of the team dedicated to the mobile game Warcraft Rumble. Across Microsoft as a whole, approximately 9,000 jobs were lost.
Earlier this month, Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson announced his departure from Blizzard after spending half a decade with the company. Blizzard has also signaled some changes to the way it interacts with Diablo 4 fans in Campfire Chats. Additionally, Blizzard president Johanna Faries hinted that more TV and movies based on the studio's franchises may eventually be made.
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There have been two previous unionization votes at Blizzard in the past year. In July 2024, the developers behind World of Warcraft voted to unionize and joined CWA. The Overwatch 2 team passed a similar vote in May 2025, and also joined CWA.
One of the SFD union organizers, Buddy Fisk, shared a statement through CWA citing the increasingly frequent layoffs in the video game industry as a driving force behind this vote.
"After more than a decade working at Blizzard, I've seen all the highs and lows," said Fisk. "For years, Blizzard has been a place where people could build their careers and stay for decades, but that stability's been fading. With a union, we're able to preserve what makes this place special, secure real transparency in how decisions are made, and make sure policies are applied fairly to everyone."
During the latest round of layoffs at Microsoft last month, Blizzard lost many members of the team dedicated to the mobile game Warcraft Rumble. Across Microsoft as a whole, approximately 9,000 jobs were lost.
Earlier this month, Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson announced his departure from Blizzard after spending half a decade with the company. Blizzard has also signaled some changes to the way it interacts with Diablo 4 fans in Campfire Chats. Additionally, Blizzard president Johanna Faries hinted that more TV and movies based on the studio's franchises may eventually be made.
Source