Hundreds Rally at Bethesda HQ to Protest Xbox Layoffs
Freeman writes:
Hundreds of Bethesda Game Studios and Zenimax Online Studios employees and their supporters braved nearly 100 F temperatures to protest sweeping layoffs across Xbox during a lunchtime rally in front of parent company Zenimax's headquarters today. The rally was one of five today organized by Zenimax Workers United and its parent union, the Communication Workers of America, at offices across Texas, California, and Montreal.
Attendees held up signs with messages like "Layoffs... layoffs never change"
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Chief among the union's demands is that Microsoft return to the bargaining table and resume contract negotiations with the remaining uncontracted members of Bethesda Game Studios (after reaching a separate agreement with QA testers last year that included guaranteed severance for laid-off employees). "We had... a reduction in force proposal on the table for months, and they ignored it," Hahn said.
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In response to a request for comment, a Microsoft spokesperson said, "We respect our employees' right to make their voices heard, and we recognize that this is a difficult time for many. We reached out to the union on July 6 to begin effects bargaining and are committed to that process. We remain focused on supporting impacted employees through this transition while positioning the organization for long-term strength."
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In announcing the layoffs last week, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said the move was necessary to restructure a business that is "not healthy" and is operating at margins well below the competition. "These changes are about a bigger future for Xbox, not a smaller one, Sharma said.
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Following a round of layoffs last year, Bethesda employees said they were still shocked at the depth and breadth of the job losses in this latest round, which affected hundreds of Maryland employees. Juniper Dowell, whose five-year tenure as a quality assurance tester ended with last week's layoffs, told Ars that the reduced workforce continuing work on franchises like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls would be akin to "trying to sing with half a choir or a band with a drummer missing."
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System Designer Mandy Parker, whose position was not affected by the latest round of layoffs, told Ars, "It's hard to be creative, it's hard to be able to tell stories when we're worried about people next to us and ourselves." Parker also pushed back against the Microsoft narrative that these latest layoffs were focused heavily on reducing redundant layers of middle management, saying she wasn't aware of any middle managers let go in her office. "These folks [being laid off in quality assurance], they don't make a lot of money," Parker said. "They're taking home pizzas from our cafeteria, for their kids to eat, to help them. We don't get the big Microsoft money."
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Union organizers said fans should go to the Xbox Player Voice forums to express their support for the developers of the games they love.
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