“Without us, Bethesda games aren’t Bethesda games”: Rallies against Microsoft layoffs at Elder Scrolls studio continue, with unionised devs’ morale “on the upswing”
Union rallies against Microsoft's mass layoffs at Bethesda continued on 18 August, with the One Bethesda Game Studio (OneBGS) union and the Communication Workers of America (CWA) staging further protests across North America. Two unionised developers told Kotaku that while day-to-day morale among remaining staff is at an all-time low following the cuts, spirits around the union's organising efforts are improving, highlighting a workforce determined to keep pushing back despite the disruption.
The "Save Our Devs" rallies took place at nine locations across the US and Canada, including repeat sites such as Redmond, Rockville and Austin, alongside new locations like Minneapolis and Albany. Lead character artist Alex Nguyen and technical producer Nathan Hahn said the layoffs went beyond middle management, hitting staff directly responsible for shipping games, and noted a reduction-in-force proposal submitted in February had gone unanswered for four months before the cuts were made. The CWA and CWA Canada have filed unfair labour practice complaints with the US National Labour Relations Board, accusing Microsoft of bad-faith bargaining and coercive tactics, while the layoffs have cast further uncertainty over the development timelines of The Elder Scrolls 6 and The Elder Scrolls Online.
- Bethesda union rallies against Microsoft layoffs continued on 18 August
- Nine North American cities took part in "Save Our Devs" protests
- CWA has filed unfair labour complaints; Elder Scrolls 6 timeline remains uncertain
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Bethesda Game Studios makes role-playing games including The Elder Scrolls series, while its online team develops The Elder Scrolls Online. Microsoft owns Bethesda and has cut jobs across the company, including at the studio; the cuts have affected developers as well as managers.
Some Bethesda staff are represented by One Bethesda Game Studio, a union affiliated with the Communications Workers of America. The union has sought changes to how the workforce is managed, and the dispute raises questions about how Microsoft and the union negotiate over jobs and working conditions.
The layoffs have also created uncertainty for the teams making future Elder Scrolls games. The series has a large audience, and changes to staffing may affect the people and schedules involved in developing them.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The union's case is grounded in workers' right to fair treatment and job security. The company ignored a formal reduction-in-force proposal for four months before making sudden cuts that hit essential development staff, not just management, suggesting bad-faith bargaining. Workers who built the value in these games deserve meaningful consultation and reasonable notice rather than sudden termination. The legal framework of unfair labour practice protections exists precisely to prevent such situations.
The case against
Microsoft faces legitimate pressures to manage costs and align its workforce with strategic priorities. As a private company, it has the prerogative to make employment decisions on its own timeline based on business information employees cannot access. Acquisition integration often requires difficult workforce adjustments that don't necessarily constitute unfair labour practices simply because they occur after union organising. Long-term viability sometimes requires short-term disruption that impacts employees.