Overview
- QA staff at Blizzard's Albany, New York, and Austin, Texas, studios approved a three-year contract with Microsoft after nearly three years of negotiations, combining the two sites into one bargaining unit.
- The agreement covers just over 60 employees and guarantees pay increases across the term, adds rules on generative AI use, standardizes crediting on shipped games, provides disability accommodations, protects immigrant workers, and restricts mandatory overtime.
- The union says the deal includes job-security measures such as recall rights during layoffs and protections that reduce the risk of unfair discipline for immigrant employees.
- Workers told reporters the contract sets a minimum wage of about $25.50 per hour and restores seniority by backdating service time, including prior tenure from Vicarious Visions, though the wage floor has been reported rather than formally announced by the company.
- This contract follows ratified agreements with Microsoft game workers at ZeniMax in June 2025 and Raven Software in August 2025, reflecting a broader unionization trend supported by a company neutrality pledge during the Activision Blizzard merger.