Developers working on Magic: The Gathering Arena, a digital version of the popular card game at Wizards of the Coast, have announced their intention to become the next major union within the video game industry. This will be the first unionization effort at Wizards of the Coast, a popular digital and tabletop studio based in Washington State, most known for developing Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.
More than 100 game designers, programmers, producers, artists, and other workers at the studio will be represented by the bargaining unit. In a letter sent to management, workers outlined protections over layoffs and remote work, guardrails over generative AI usage and mandatory crunch time, and increased transparency and equity in the workplace as some of the issues they hope to address as a union.
We know the workers who make the game can and should be treated better, and our aim is to show that to the world through our union efforts,” the letter reads.
Rogue Kessler, a designer at the studio, said that the unionization efforts at Wizards of the Coast ramped up in response to a recent return to office mandate. Workers have reportedly been told that they must relocate to Washington or they will lose their jobs.
“We have people living all over the country, and many of those folks were hired remotely in the first place. They’ve never been to Washington. They’ve never lived here, and now they’re being told all of a sudden that they need to move to Seattle, uproot their families, sell their homes and relocate here in two years or lose their job,” said Kessler. “We’ve had a few round rounds of layoffs here at Hasbro and Wizards, and so that’s something that has a lot of us very spooked as well. We want to see some robust protections there.”
Software Engineer Valentine Powell said management hasn’t been responsive in trying to address these issues. “They just aren’t working with the people who are on the ground level and so unionization is our best effort to try and rectify that,” Powell said.
Powell also talked about why the union is making a focus on addressing generative AI use and how it is used. “When it comes to the product that we’re trying to make, I believe that AI has consistently shown worse results. It takes longer and it just sort of harms the end product.”
Powell warned that the studios’ return to office mandate will result in losing several skilled artists, developers, and workers.
“What I would like to say to our players is the people who make your game love making it. The co-workers that I’ve had here are some of the most dedicated to trying to make a really, really outstanding game and trying to make their players happy and keep those lines of communication open. And it’s those people that we’re very likely to lose if some of the initiatives go forward,” Powell said. “I really believe unionization is the only thing that’s going to save the games industry.”
“Since moving to the United States after spending most of my working life in other countries, at-will employment has always felt like a dark cloud hanging over me and my colleagues in the industry,” said UWOTC-CWA member Neil White, a Senior Software Development Engineer for Magic: The Gathering Arena. “Unions are the tool we have as workers to push back on our employers to demand fair treatment. They’re how we protect against choices that impact our coworkers and friends and the product we all work on and love.”
This comes following several layoffs at Wizards of the Coast in recent years. Roughly 30 employees were laid off in March 2025. 1,100 workers were affected in a significant round of layoffs across Hasbro back in December 2023.
While this marks yet another union within the games industry, this is also a big move within the tabletop roleplaying games industry.
“Today’s union announcement is a milestone not just for these workers but for the games industry as a whole. Whether someone is designing digital worlds or crafting tabletop experiences, every worker deserves job security, fair compensation, and a seat at the table,” said CWA District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister.“Together, we will ensure that the people who bring these games to life are treated with the dignity and respect that they’ve always deserved. CWA District 7 is honored to stand with these members as they take this historic step toward union representation.”