Union-represented Microsoft workers held coordinated rallies outside Xbox-owned studios on July 15 in protest at the company's latest round of layoffs, and modders marked the day by filling Bethesda games with pro-union content. Rock Paper Shotgun reported on both the protests and the mods.
The Communications Workers of America organised the rallies and said more than 400 union-represented jobs were being cut across Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax and id Software. The protests were staged at six locations across North America: Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington; ZeniMax studios in Austin, Texas and Rockville, Maryland; id Software in Dallas, Texas; Obsidian Entertainment's headquarters in Irvine, California; and Victoria Square Park in Montreal.
The union's case
In a statement issued after the layoffs were announced, CWA District 6 vice president Derrick Osobase argued that the cuts would damage the franchises Microsoft depends on.
As Microsoft restructures, the workers powering its biggest franchises deserve protection, not to be treated like disposable line items. It is our CWA members who make the games that make Xbox valuable. Today's layoffs decimated the teams at id Software, Bethesda Game Studios, and ZeniMax Online Studios, legendary studios whose employees brought us games like Doom, Quake, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout.
Osobase went on to say the cuts would lower the quality of those games, lengthen delays between releases and ultimately reduce Microsoft's own revenue.
Solidarity in the wasteland
For players unable to attend a rally, two modders produced a way to show support inside Bethesda's own games. Veteran modder Emmi "Elianora" Junkkari had already added OneBGS union logos to Skyrim the previous week, and worked with modder greenFoxel to give Fallout 4 similar treatment.
The pair released two mods, Unified Front - save our devs and One for All and All For One - Support the Devs. Between them they add pro-union protest signs, vault suits carrying the OneBGS union logo, and a set of banners and posters that can be placed in settlements. Rock Paper Shotgun reported that the intent, as with the earlier Skyrim mod, is to give streamers, video creators and ordinary players a way to voice disapproval of the layoffs and draw attention to the organising effort.
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