450 Diablo developers vote to unionize under CWA

Three diablo characters defend a ritual from hordes of monsters in the latest season of Diablo IV.

The forces of hell are unionizing. Today the Communication Workers of America has announced that over 450 game developers at Blizzard Entertainment who work on the Diablo series have voted to unionize under the CWA.

The union vote concluded on the evening of August 27, 2025, with workers either signing union cards or indicating they wanted to unionize through an online portal. The successful vote means that workers will unionized under CWA local 9510 in Irvine, CA, Local 1118 in Albany, NY, and Local 6215 in Austin, TX.

The union will represent a wide variety of disciplines across Blizzard Entertainment including designers, engineers, artists, and support staff. Diablo game producer and organizing committing member Kelly Yeo said that the mass layoffs at Microsoft were a major factor in rallying the unionization drive. “With every subsequent round of mass layoffs, I’ve witnessed the dread in my coworkers grow stronger because it feels like no amount of hard work is enough to protect us,” they said. “This is just the first step for us joining a movement spreading across an industry that is tired of living in fear.”

“The day after the third round of mass layoffs, I walked into the office, and when I tried to open the door to the cafeteria, my badge was denied. For a moment, I wondered if getting breakfast was how I’d find out I was part of that round,” added game designer and organizing committee member Ryan Littleton. While luckily it was just a technical issue, none of us should have to live with that constant worry that we might be let go at the drop of a hat.”

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Blizzard Entertainment has been the site of most major unionization drives across Xbox Game Studios. Most recently the studio’s Story and Franchise development team voted to unionize earlier in August 2025.

Unionization can address some of the “constant pressure of layoffs”

The unionizing Diablo developers stressed to their peers that this initiative is one that can prevent developers from suffering the “constant pressure of layoffs,” with multiple committee members protesting the “passion tax” that has held back advancements in workers rights. “At some point you have to choose between fight or flight, and forming a union is us doing just that—standing our ground in the industry,” said senior software engineer and organizing committee member Nav Bhatti.

CWA Local 9510 president Jason Justice said this development is part of a larger trend showing California has become “a hub for video game worker organizing. “What’s happening here is part of a much larger story about turning the tide in an industry that has long overlooked its labor. Entertainment workers across film, television, music, and now video games are standing together to have a seat at the table.”

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Game Developer has reached out to Blizzard Entertainment for comment on this story and will update it when a response is issued.

Update 8/28: This story has been updated to correctly state the date of the union vote and include Kelly Yeo’s name.

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