Hundreds of employees from ZeniMax, the studio behind the video game radioactive dustwent on strike on Wednesday, November 13, to protest the outsourcing of certain tasks and the lack of remote work options, according to a message posted online by its union.
“Today we are on strike”said ZeniMax Workers United in X. “We are not afraid to do what is necessary to bring Microsoft to the negotiating table over [ces] key questions. »
The CWA (Communication Workers of America) union branch said hundreds of ZeniMax employees in Maryland (northeastern United States) and Texas (south) were on strike throughout the day over “Tell Microsoft to stop dragging its feet” when it comes to employee demands for job security and better working conditions.
Unionized “wave of workers” in the video game industry
Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion in 2021, marking a major expansion of its Xbox division that gave it ownership of several successful franchises. ZeniMax is the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, publisher of the franchises radioactive dust AND ancient scrolls.
“We respect the right of our employees to express their opinions as they did today”commented a Microsoft spokesperson, contacted by Agence France-Presse. “We will continue to listen to them and address their concerns at the negotiating table. »
Bethesda Game Studios teams joined the CWA in July after reporting grueling workloads and a lack of job security. they joined “a wave of workers” who have unionized in the video game industry, according to the CWA, which has members at Activision Blizzard (publisher of Obligations, also purchased by Microsoft), ZeniMax, Tender Claws and SEGA of America.
