BioWare QA team unanimously votes to form a union

A group of quality assurance contractors who work for BioWare, a studio owned by Electronic Arts, have formed a union. Canada is the first country in the world to have a union in the game industry.

A requirement to return to work in the office was one of the reasons why the contractors decided to organize. A hybrid work from home option is now available to all workers. The workers don't like the time off policy and pay that starts at 15 Canadian dollars per hour.

BREAKING! We’ve received the results of our vote count and we have UNANIMOUSLY voted 16-0 and will be forming a union. More details incoming, so follow for updates. ✊

— KWS Edmonton United (@KWSUnited) June 6, 2022

The company will accept workers' choice to unionize, according to a statement on the site. We take any concerns that our staff have seriously and we want to ensure an engaging experience for all of our employees. We will continue to dialogue with everyone in the team as we move forward, always learning and improving.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Star Wars: The Old Republic expansion are two of the titles that the contractors have worked on. The Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in the works.

Lacey Haines, the director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, said that the company respects the process and the right of workers to choose.

A recent push for video game workers to unionize followed a milestone in Canada. In a first for video games studios in North America, workers at Vodeo Games voted to unionize in December of last year.