Magic: The Gathering Arena devs announce plans to unionise
Developers at Wizards of the Coast have achieved a supermajority vote to unionize with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), marking the first unionization effort at the Hasbro-owned studio. The union, officially named United Wizards of the Coast—CWA, encompasses approximately 100 developers and represents a significant labor organizing effort in the gaming industry.
The CWA has given Wizards of the Coast until the end of the week to voluntarily recognize the union and has filed an election petition with the US National Labor Relations Board. Senior software engineer Valentine Powell noted the union achieved “the highest amount [percentage of eligible individuals] committed to a union of any team that I’ve ever seen unionise.”
The unionization effort comes in response to multiple workforce reductions across Hasbro, including two major rounds of layoffs in 2023 that affected 2,000 employees company-wide and an additional 3% of staff reductions in 2025. Beyond job security concerns, the union’s stated objectives include protection against forced crunch and advocacy regarding artificial intelligence implementation in game development. The developers have sent management a letter outlining their demands for improved working conditions and fairer treatment of those who create the game.