More than 450 developers working on Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo franchise have voted to unionize, forming one of the largest cross-discipline unions in modern game development. This collective move signals a shift in how workers at major studios are choosing to respond to industry uncertainty.

Diablo team joins forces across departments

The new union includes designers, engineers, artists, producers, and support staff, essentially the entire Diablo team. Workers are now represented across three CWA locals: Irvine’s Local 9510, Albany’s Local 1118, and Austin’s Local 6215.

Previously, union efforts at Blizzard focused on specific teams. This time, the scope is far broader. By voting together, the Diablo staff made it clear that solidarity doesn’t need to be siloed.

Layoffs pushed Diablo developers to organize

This wave of organizing didn’t come out of nowhere. According to game producer Kelly Yeo, the repeated layoffs at Microsoft were the tipping point. “Each new round brought more dread,” Yeo explained. “No amount of effort felt like enough to guarantee safety.”

Meanwhile, game designer Ryan Littleton shared how that anxiety played out in real life. One morning, his badge didn’t open the cafeteria door. “For a second, I thought that’s how I’d find out I’d been let go,” he said. Although it turned out to be a technical error, the fear was hard to shake.

The CWA-backed union pushes for long-term protection

For developers, the move isn’t just about avoiding layoffs. It’s about changing the expectations of what working in games should look like. Many staff members called out the “passion tax,” the idea that loving your work means accepting poor job security.

“At some point, you stop running,” said senior engineer Nav Bhatti. “We chose to stand our ground.”

By organizing, they hope to lock in better protections for the long haul. In their words, the industry shouldn’t reward dedication with instability.

Blizzard is seeing a rising labor shift

Blizzard has been at the center of multiple labor pushes recently. Just weeks before, its Story and Franchise team voted to unionize. Slowly but surely, departments are linking arms.

Here’s how the union landscape at Blizzard is evolving:

• Story and Franchise team unionized in August 2025
• Diablo team followed with over 450 members
• Workers are now part of CWA locals in three states
• Microsoft formally recognized both unions

Diablo developers join a growing worker movement

CWA Local 9510 president Jason Justice says this isn’t just a Blizzard story. “California is turning into a hub for video game labor organizing,” he explained. “This is about changing how the entire industry treats its workers.”

Increasingly, game devs are taking cues from their peers in the film, TV, and music industries that have recently fought for and won stronger labor rights.

This time, the fight isn’t just happening on-screen. It’s happening in the studio halls, and the players aren’t backing down.