Bethesda developers have announced a major union across their US-based studios in Dallas, Rockville and Austin - forming the 'OneBGSUSA' group. The group says that it is "a majority of developers" who "advocate for the betterment of every developer at BGS, setting the new standard for our industry."
Microsoft, of course now the parent company of Bethesda, has recognised the union - which is now setting out to negotiate a deal with the Xbox owner. Here's a chunk of the union's message, put out onto social media in the last few days:
"We, a majority of developers at Bethesda Game Studios Dallas, Rockville, and Austin, are ecstatic to announce the formation of our union with @CWAUnion. Together as #OneBGSUSA, we advocate for the betterment of every developer at BGS, setting the new standard for our industry.
As a democratic organization, we seek to empower the collective wishes of our studios’ workers; having a safe, sustainable, and equitable work environment for all. Having a proper seat at the discussion table allows us to turn those wishes into reality."
This is a landmark move in the industry, especially for such a broad swathe of workers to come under one union at a major game developer like Bethesda. The group will "push for increased job security, compensation transparency, and flexibility to continue creating the games we love" as it works out that deal with Microsoft.
The move to unionize shouldn't really come as a huge surprise here - especially in a turbulent year for the video game industry. Microsoft, Sony, Embracer Group and others have cut hundreds of staff in recent months in order to be more efficient in the months and years ahead.