Microsoft’s ‘World of Warcraft’ Gaming Staff Votes to Unionize (www.bloomberg.com)
from alyaza@beehaw.org to gaming@beehaw.org on 24 Jul 2024 20:13
https://beehaw.org/post/15167604

#gaming

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scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech on 24 Jul 2024 20:17 next collapse

who would have guessed that laying off an entire studio overnight would have repercussions, ey Microsoft?

Immediately went from papa microsoft who believes in the studio to “Make money or GTFO”

overload@sopuli.xyz on 24 Jul 2024 23:38 next collapse

It turns out that job security is rather important! Who would have thunk that, Microsoft?

Faydaikin@beehaw.org on 26 Jul 2024 07:01 collapse

Don’t overestimate what unions do. MS is still perfectly in their right to close down the studio and fire all it’s staff, if they had a mind to.

It’s just a matter of doing it properly. Severance Pay, Pensions and such. Which I honestly don’t think Microsoft cares too much about.

I mean, if they can avoid paying it, they would. But they do actually have a legitimate business side. And severance pay for the entire Blizzard staff would likely still cost them less than what they had to pay Kotick to get rid of him.

Beaver@lemmy.ca on 24 Jul 2024 20:37 next collapse

Maybe now would be a good time to get back into wow

MajorHavoc@programming.dev on 25 Jul 2024 00:42 next collapse

Let’s see how he union negotiations go.

seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 25 Jul 2024 07:30 collapse

The last expansion was genuinely good and theyre planning a new storyline on a span of 3 extensions!

SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 24 Jul 2024 20:58 next collapse

A man chooses.

A slave obeys.

theangriestbird@beehaw.org on 24 Jul 2024 21:16 next collapse

Fuck YES! Unions unions unions! Unionize the whole industry, let’s fucking goooooo

saigot@lemmy.ca on 24 Jul 2024 21:44 next collapse

That’s the second Microsoft Game studio to unionize isn’t it. How excellent!

shasta@lemm.ee on 24 Jul 2024 23:37 next collapse

Do they have any leverage? How much money is wow still making off new content at this point?

MajorHavoc@programming.dev on 25 Jul 2024 00:42 next collapse

They have plenty of leverage. WoW runs on centralized servers which cannot maintain themselves, and are likely still under constant forms of Cyberattack, waiting for a serious vulnerability.

seliaste@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 25 Jul 2024 07:30 collapse

WoW is still a lot of money iirc, the playerbase is still big

FlashMobOfOne@beehaw.org on 25 Jul 2024 00:53 next collapse

TIL World of Warcraft is still a thing.

And goddamnit, yes, their staff should unionize.

dubyakay@lemmy.ca on 25 Jul 2024 01:42 next collapse

Wait, I’m missing something. What does World of Warcraft have in common with Microsoft?

pepsison52895@lemmy.one on 25 Jul 2024 01:50 collapse

Microsoft purchased Blizzard.

dubyakay@lemmy.ca on 25 Jul 2024 01:52 collapse

🤯

I must have been under a rock.

No wonder they were able to unionize so quickly. And I bet they had to, knowing Microsoft’s track record.

DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca on 25 Jul 2024 04:38 next collapse

Being under the ActiBlizzard umbrella wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for a lot of employees either.

Cube6392@beehaw.org on 25 Jul 2024 16:40 collapse

I knew a dude who worked at Activision Blizzard and his description of his workplace sounded horrid. The weird part was his fawning bright eyed love for the office culture. He viewed it as a perfect dream workplace. I don’t even know it there’s a takeaway from all that. It just always struck me as notably odd

DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca on 26 Jul 2024 07:16 collapse

Sounds like a strange form of Stockholm Syndrome.

t3rmit3@beehaw.org on 25 Jul 2024 15:46 collapse

And they paid $69 billion, which is the dumb joke amount Elon initially said he’d pay for Twitter, but these dorks actually did it

abbiistabbii@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 25 Jul 2024 16:55 next collapse

Of fucking course Bloomberg would describe Blizzard as “Microsoft’s ‘World of Warcraft’ Gaming staff.”

Faydaikin@beehaw.org on 26 Jul 2024 06:24 collapse

It’s not incorrect though. It is all Microsofts. The IPs, the staff… everything.

mjhelto@lemm.ee on 26 Jul 2024 08:29 collapse

Anyone wanna start a sysadmin union? Anyone? Please? My neck is starting to hurt from all the hats they make me wear!