The studio that created Doom and Quake just unionized, and the reason is surprisingly straightforward: Microsoft keeps pushing AI implementation without thinking through the consequences, and workers are tired of watching executives with zero game development experience make terrible decisions. All 165 employees at id Software in Richardson, Texas voted to join the Communications Workers of America, creating a wall-to-wall union that Microsoft has already recognized. This isn’t just about AI though. It’s about remote work, benefits, and taking back control from Ivy League MBAs who’ve never shipped a game.
Why AI Protection Matters
According to lead services programmer Chris Hays, one of the organizing committee members, there’s a clear directive from Microsoft to use AI more throughout the studio. But how it’s being implemented isn’t careful enough to actually benefit game creation or make processes more efficient. Programmer Mark Willis was more blunt, saying that while some AI applications are good, others are decidedly not, and Microsoft isn’t approaching implementation in a way that helps rather than harms workers.
The union is following in the footsteps of ZeniMax QA workers who secured AI protections in their 2024 contract. Those protections commit the company to using AI in ways that “augment human ingenuity and capacities without causing workers harm” and require ZeniMax to notify the union when AI implementation might impact workers, giving them the right to bargain over those impacts. The id Software union wants similar language in their contract, and they’re starting from a stronger position because they can learn from what other Microsoft unions have already negotiated.
The Remote Work Battle
Remote work is another major pillar of the union’s priorities. Hays described it as not a perk but a necessity for health, families, and accessibility needs. Willis added that during the pandemic, his team learned to work more remotely and actually became more productive as a result. They adapted, learned lessons, and shouldn’t throw away those wins just because executives want everyone back in offices.
This hits different when you consider that id Software is based in Richardson, Texas. Not everyone wants to live in Texas, and not everyone who works at id Software necessarily can or should have to relocate there. Remote work opens opportunities for disabled workers, workers with family obligations, and workers who simply function better outside traditional office environments. The union recognizes this and is fighting to preserve flexibility that benefits both workers and productivity.
Benefits Have Major Blind Spots
Beyond AI and remote work, the union is focusing on benefits that currently have major gaps. Hays mentioned that many workers don’t even know what benefits they have or where things are lacking. Some people brought up issues around childcare specifically. The union plans to conduct a bargaining survey before negotiations to identify exactly what’s missing and what needs improvement.
This lack of transparency around benefits is common in the gaming industry. Companies assume workers should just be grateful to work on games they love, so compensation packages often lag behind other tech sectors. Unionizing forces management to the table to negotiate concrete improvements rather than relying on vague promises.
Microsoft’s Neutrality Agreement Made This Possible
The reason id Software and other Microsoft studios have been able to unionize relatively smoothly comes down to a legally binding neutrality agreement Microsoft signed with CWA in 2022. That agreement came about because Microsoft was facing regulatory scrutiny over its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. To get union support for the deal, Microsoft promised to remain neutral during unionization efforts.
That neutrality agreement lapsed on the Activision Blizzard side earlier in 2025, but the separate agreement covering ZeniMax studios (which includes id Software) remains valid until May 2026. According to Hays, this timing influenced their decision to unionize now rather than wait. They knew the neutrality agreement gave them freedom to talk openly about unionizing without facing the typical corporate pushback that kills most union campaigns. They wanted to take advantage of that protection while they had it.
What Wall-to-Wall Means
The term “wall-to-wall” union means everyone at the studio is included, not just specific departments like QA. This is significant because earlier Microsoft unions were primarily quality assurance workers. Having programmers, artists, designers, and other disciplines united in one bargaining unit gives workers substantially more leverage. Management can’t easily dismiss concerns as coming from just one department when the entire studio is organized.
ZeniMax Workers United, which represents over 300 QA workers across multiple studios including id Software’s QA department, reached their first tentative contract with Microsoft in May 2025 after nearly two years of negotiations. That contract included wage increases, minimum salaries, protections against arbitrary dismissal, the AI protections mentioned earlier, and crediting policies ensuring QA workers get proper recognition in shipped games.
The Executive Problem
Willis made a pointed comment about who’s making decisions at Microsoft: “The folks that are in charge of a lot of these decision-making processes, it’s a lot of Ivy League MBAs, a lot of folks with zero game experience.” That’s the core frustration driving unionization. People who’ve never shipped a game, who may not even play games, are dictating how studios should operate and what technologies they should implement.
This disconnect between management and developers is endemic across the gaming industry, but it’s particularly stark at massive corporations like Microsoft. The people actually making games understand the creative process, the technical challenges, and what helps versus hurts productivity. But decisions come from business executives optimizing for quarterly earnings reports rather than long-term game quality or worker wellbeing.
Following Industry Trends
id Software is the latest in a wave of gaming industry unionization efforts. Raven Software QA workers at Activision unionized in 2022. Blizzard Albany followed. Over 200 Overwatch 2 developers at Blizzard formed a union in 2025. Multiple ZeniMax studios have unionized. This represents a fundamental shift in an industry that historically resisted labor organizing.
The common threads across these efforts are similar: protection from layoffs, opposition to mandatory crunch, concerns about AI replacing human creativity, demands for fair compensation and benefits, and desire for input into decisions affecting their work. Gaming has been the Wild West of tech employment for decades, with studios regularly overworking and underpaying developers who loved games enough to tolerate exploitation. That’s changing.
The Layoff Context
Game Developer reported that the mass Xbox layoffs in early 2025 played a key role in motivating id Software workers to unionize. Microsoft laid off thousands of gaming employees across its studios despite record profits, making it crystal clear that loyalty and hard work don’t protect anyone. The only protection is collective bargaining power through unions.
Those layoffs hit after Microsoft’s $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition closed. The company eliminated redundancies and cut costs despite promising regulators that the acquisition would benefit workers and consumers. Watching colleagues lose their jobs for no reason other than spreadsheet optimization convinced many developers that unionizing wasn’t optional anymore.
What Happens Next
Microsoft has already recognized the union, so there won’t be a drawn-out legal battle over whether workers have the right to organize. That’s genuinely impressive and shows Microsoft is honoring its neutrality commitments, at least for now. The next step is contract negotiations, which will determine whether this union has real teeth or just symbolic value.
The union will conduct a bargaining survey to identify priorities before sitting down with Microsoft. Based on preliminary discussions, they’ll focus on three main pillars: comprehensive benefits addressing current blind spots, protections and expansion of remote work options, and strict guidelines around AI implementation that ensure it augments rather than replaces human work.
Contract negotiations typically take months or even years. The ZeniMax QA union spent nearly two years hammering out their first contract. But id Software has an advantage because they can look at what other Microsoft unions have achieved and use that as a starting point. They won’t be negotiating from scratch, which should speed up the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did id Software unionize?
Workers cited three main concerns: Microsoft’s directive to implement AI without careful consideration of impacts, threats to remote work arrangements, and gaps in benefits packages. Mass layoffs at Microsoft’s gaming division in early 2025 also motivated the decision.
How many id Software workers joined the union?
All 165 employees at id Software’s Richardson, Texas studio voted to unionize. It’s a wall-to-wall union covering all departments, not just QA workers.
Has Microsoft recognized the union?
Yes. Microsoft recognized the union immediately, honoring its neutrality agreement with the Communications Workers of America that remains valid for ZeniMax studios until May 2026.
What AI protections does the union want?
Similar to what ZeniMax QA workers secured: commitment to using AI only to augment human work without causing harm, notification requirements when AI might impact union members, and the right to bargain over those impacts.
Is id Software the first Microsoft studio to unionize?
No. Over 300 QA workers across ZeniMax studios unionized in 2023. Blizzard Albany, Raven Software, and roughly 200 Overwatch 2 developers have also unionized under Microsoft’s umbrella.
Why is remote work a union priority?
Workers argue remote work isn’t a perk but a necessity for health, families, and accessibility. Teams became more productive during pandemic remote work, and the union wants to preserve that flexibility.
When will contract negotiations begin?
The union will conduct a bargaining survey first to identify member priorities, then begin negotiations with Microsoft. The process typically takes months to years, though id Software can learn from other Microsoft union contracts.
What is a wall-to-wall union?
A wall-to-wall union includes all employees at a workplace regardless of department or job function, giving workers more collective bargaining power than department-specific unions.
Gaming’s Labor Movement Is Here
id Software’s unionization represents more than just one studio organizing. It’s part of a broader awakening in the gaming industry where developers are collectively deciding they’re done tolerating exploitation, mass layoffs, crunch culture, and decisions made by executives who’ve never shipped a game. The neutrality agreement Microsoft signed to get its Activision acquisition approved has created a window where unionizing is actually possible without the typical corporate union-busting playbook.
The focus on AI protections is particularly timely. Every major tech company is racing to implement generative AI everywhere possible, often without thinking through consequences for workers whose jobs might be displaced or degraded. By negotiating AI guidelines now, unions can establish precedent that AI must augment human creativity rather than replace it. That’s not anti-technology. It’s pro-worker.
Whether this wave of gaming unionization continues beyond Microsoft’s neutrality agreement window remains to be seen. Other major publishers like EA, Ubisoft, and Take-Two face no legal pressure to remain neutral, so organizing at those companies will be harder. But the precedent has been set. Gaming workers have seen that collective action works, that unions can win meaningful protections, and that they don’t have to accept whatever management dictates. That’s a powerful realization that won’t go away just because neutrality agreements expire.