Wizards of the Coast has refused to grant voluntary recognition to a union drive by its Dungeons & Dragons and Studio X teams, GamesIndustry.biz reported. Staff will instead vote on joining in a secret-ballot election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.
The union, United Wizards of the Coast-CWA, announced the decision on Twitter/X on Wednesday, October 14, according to Wargamer as cited by GamesIndustry.biz, and a company spokesperson confirmed it. Staff on both teams said they intended to unionize on October 6 and asked the company to recognize the union by October 13.
Wargamer obtained an email apparently sent to Wizards’ US staff setting out the company’s position.
Not neutral on the question of unionization.
The email said the company prefers to deal with staff directly rather than through unions, that eligible employees have the right to decide for themselves, and that Wizards will honor the outcome of the election whichever way they vote, GamesIndustry.biz reported. It also listed subsidized medical benefits, five weeks of paid time off, annual bonuses at 200% of target in 2025, and a 20% rise in individual contributors’ average base salary since 2023.
An AI policy among the union’s demands
The union’s stated aims include fair pay, promotion routes and job security, remote work protections, and better healthcare, GamesIndustry.biz reported. It is also calling for an enforceable AI policy: in the petition published when the D&D and Studio X teams announced their drive, workers said leadership had pushed for generative AI without regard for their teams’ wishes.
The union is seeking ownership of what employees create in their own time as well, a demand first made when the Magic: The Gathering Arena team announced its own union in April. Wizards and Hasbro missed the deadline to voluntarily recognize that union in May. The Arena team, which formed United Wizards of the Coast-CWA, voted to unionize in June by 79 votes to 16.
Wizards of the Coast is part of Hasbro. GamesIndustry.biz reported that Hasbro’s second-quarter results show its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment made an operating profit of $567.7 million on revenue of $1.25 billion in the first six months of 2026, while the Entertainment segment made an operating profit of $22.9 million and Consumer Products posted an operating loss of $62.0 million.
