Workers stage walkout at US maker of Fallout video game

Hundreds of US workers at the video game giant behind Fallout staged a one-day strike Wednesday over outsourcing and remote work policies, their labor union said.

"We are not afraid to do what's necessary to ensure that Microsoft meets us at the bargaining table over key issues like remote work options and outsourcing," ZeniMax Workers United said on X, formerly Twitter.

"Today, we are on strike."

The group, part of the Communication Workers of America (CWA), said that hundreds of ZeniMax employees in Maryland and Texas were on strike throughout the work day to "tell Microsoft to stop dragging their feet" regarding worker demands for job security and improved conditions.

X Post by ZeniMax Workers Union announcing their strike X

According to the union, strikers' concerns included requiring workers to work from home some or all the time to return to offices.

"We respect our employees' rights to express their point of view as they have done today," a Microsoft spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry. "We will continue to listen and address their concerns at the bargaining table."

Software giant Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion in 2021, marking a significant expansion for its Xbox division that gave it ownership of several best-selling franchises.

ZeniMax Workers Union staging their protest against outsourcing and work from home policies X

ZeniMax is the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, the publisher of the Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises.

Workers at Bethesda Game Studios joined the CWA in July of this year as union organizing gained momentum despite grueling workloads and scant job security.

According to the CWA, Bethesda Game Studios employees joined "a surge of workers" forming unions in the video game industry. The union lists members at SEGA of America, Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Tender Claws.