Magic: The Gathering Arena developers at Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have unionized following a National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) vote.
A cohort of workers at the U.S. company had been attempting to unionize under the Communications Workers of America (CWA) banner as United Wizards of the Coast-CWA (UWOTC-CWA) in search of generative AI assurances, layoff protections, transparency around compensation, and more.
Employees initially asked Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro to voluntarily recognise the union. That request ultimately fell on deaf ears, and some reports indicated that Wizards of the Coast was actively trying to discourage employees from unionizing.
After failing to secure voluntary recognition, employees participated in an NLRB election on June 2, 2026 to decide whether or not to unionize. As noted on the UWOTC-CWA website, the majority of participants voted in favor of the move.
“Today is a momentous day for the workers of Arena! After months of planning, waiting and organizing, our dream is finally a reality; the votes have been counted, and our union of UWOTC-CWA has been officially elected. From this day forward, we have a union,” reads the post.
“To the thousands who signed our petition letter, the journalists who let us tell our own story, every person who reached out with words of encouragement, our stewards at the CWA who helped guide us, we cannot thank you enough for your support.”
UWOTC-CWA hopes it can inspire other employees across the video game industry to consider unionizing at their own workplace and is now focused on ratifying a union contract with Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro.