Workers at Bethesda Game Studios who are part of the union are planning to go on strike next week following the significant layoffs at Xbox.
OneBGS has organized marches outside various company studios in Montreal, Rockville, Austin, and Texas as detailed in an email from the OneBGS Mobilising Committee (via Game Developer).
The demonstrations are set to take place on Wednesday, July 15, at 12:30pm EST.
“Due to our unionization and certification, we have legal rights and protections that non-unionized studios do not possess,” stated OneBGS.
“The company is hoping we will accept these layoffs quietly and move on. We refuse to do so. Our next step is to come together and show our strength.”
A total of 440 union members were impacted by the layoffs at Bethesda and ZeniMax, including employees at Id Software, BGS Dallas, BGS Austin, ZeniMax Online Studios, and ZeniMax Media.
“Microsoft and BGS are portraying these layoffs as a ‘business model change,’ shifting from a studio-based to a franchise-based approach to avoid negotiating with us,” the union added.
In an email to employees, Bethesda CEO Jill Braff mentioned aligning talent, technology, and resources across the organization by focusing on their top franchises.
“While we continue the legal battle, Microsoft is obligated to engage in ‘Effects Bargaining’ with us,” stated OneBGS. “This gives us the opportunity to discuss how these layoffs will impact our members, and we are prepared to fight for each affected worker.”
The union emphasized the demand for preferential transfers, enhanced severance packages, extended healthcare coverage, and recall rights for laid-off members to be rehired when BGS expands.
OneBGS was established in 2024 when it joined the Communication Workers of America, becoming the third ZeniMax-owned studio to unionize after OneBGS Montreal and ZeniMax Workers following a labor neutrality agreement between Microsoft and the CWA in 2022.