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Image: Microsoft / Bethesda / Kotaku
Prepare to be amazed! Microsoft has agreed to add 77 temporary game testers to the recently established quality assurance union at ZeniMax Studios. This is a significant breakthrough for the industry’s growing labor movement, as 23 of the workers will become full-time employees. As part of this deal, all workers will receive raises and free copies of Starfield, the open-world RPG they have been painstakingly debugging.
But that’s not all! According to Kotaku, the 77 Starfield testers are now part of ZeniMax Workers United-CWA and are currently negotiating their first contract with the tech giant. The 23 workers who were made full-time will receive a 22.2 percent pay increase, while the rest get a 15.3 percent pay increase. In addition, some who weren’t previously eligible will now get paid holidays and paid sick time, while all 77 will finally get copies of the Bethesda blockbuster game they helped create.
“Each worker will also get a free copy of Starfield, the major game release they had worked on,” the Communications Workers of America wrote. “This had not previously been a practice for contractors.”
It’s a testament to just how bad working conditions are for temporary testers that such a simple perk wasn’t guaranteed before they unionized. Their incorporation into the union could also pave the way for organizing efforts elsewhere in an industry that relies on armies of permalancers who lack the same pay, benefits, and job safety of their full-time peers.
Thankfully, Microsoft’s landmark labor neutrality agreement with the CWA has quickly made it one of the most hospitable gaming companies for developer unionizing. This groundbreaking move could have a ripple effect at other studios and publishers in the future.