"Without us, Bethesda games aren’t Bethesda games": Rallies against Microsoft layoffs at Elder Scrolls studio continue, with unionised devs' morale "on the upswing"

On August 18th, union protests against Microsoft's mass layoffs of staff across Xbox studios took place in multiple North American cities. The One Bethesda Game Studio (OneBGS) union and the Communication Workers of America (CWA) organized the demonstrations. OneBGS developer Alex Nguyen told Kotaku that while work morale for staff remaining at the studio is poor, there is optimism regarding their organizing efforts.

Nguyen and fellow developer Nathan Hahn highlighted that the company delayed their response to a proposal they submitted to handle workforce reductions back in February. Instead of addressing this proposal, Microsoft proceeded with the layoffs. Contrary to rumors suggesting the cuts only impacted middle management, Nguyen emphasized that essential staff responsible for game development were also laid off.

This wave of layoffs has significantly undermined the perception of stability at Bethesda and Zenimax, and the departure of experienced employees has resulted in a severe loss of institutional knowledge. Hahn confirmed that despite the negative impact on staff morale, organizing efforts among the remaining workers are gaining momentum.

The CWA and their Canadian affiliate CWA Canada filed unfair labour practice complaints against Microsoft with the US National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) last month, alleging mishandling of the layoffs and breaches of collective bargaining agreements. The layoffs have raised uncertainty about the future development schedules of major titles like The Elder Scrolls 6 and The Elder Scrolls Online, even as Microsoft continues to announce new games and expansions within the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises.