Dungeons and Dragons staff are asking Wizards of the Coast to recognize an official union, it was revealed on October 6. Alongside MTG’s Studio X team, D&D’s workers intend to join United Wizards of the Coast (UWOTC-CWA), a union formed by MTG Arena staff with Communication Workers of America.
MTG Arena’s staff successfully voted to unionize back in June. They too asked Wizards of the Coast and parent company Hasbro to recognize United Wizards of the Coast. However, the unionization was still decided by formal election.
United Wizards of the Coast is now asking for recognition again through a petition. “We are asking Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro management to voluntarily recognize our union by 5:00 p.m. PT on Tuesday, October 13th”, it states.
To tabletop fans, the union says “You can encourage our management by signing this petition and sharing our campaign with your communities.” “Support from the Magic community was key to MTG Arena’s union win, and we hope to capture that same support for our union efforts.”
The announcement was met with overwhelming support from Wizards staff on social media. WotC producer Vanessa Hoskins says on Bluesky: “It is another step towards strengthening the gaming industry, and empowering the creatives who make the games you love”.
Senior D&D game designer Joey Haeck also shared the petition on Bluesky. “I’m the proudest to be a Wizard I’ve ever been”, they say, adding “this union is the first step to making D&D better than ever before.” Principal game designer James Wyatt also says “this has been a long, long time coming!”
Why do Wizards staff want to unionize? In their own words: “We are the stewards of the games that we make, and we deserve to be treated with all the respect and dignity that entails”.
The petition calls for “fair wages, career progression, and job security”. “Workers should be secure in the face of industry instability, roles should be clearly defined, and workers should be able to grow their careers through meaningful raises, role changes, and promotions.”
Like the MTG Arena staff who originally formed United Wizards of the Coast, they also call for remote work protections, sustainable workloads, and “protection against the encroachment of AI”. “Leadership, without regard for the desires of our teams, has pushed for adoption of LLMs and generative AI”, the union claims. “This has to stop; our teams deserve a robust and enforceable AI policy that aligns with our goals and values.”
The union also asks for reliable, accessible healthcare, as well as “full ownership of what we create outside of work”. Reportedly, Wizards of the Coast can “currently claim ownership over any IP created by employees during their tenure at Wizards, including works that are fully unrelated to Wizards IP”. “What we make in our free time should belong to us, not the company”, the union says.
Wargamer has reached out to Wizards of the Coast for comment on the union’s petition. We will update this story if we receive a response.
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Source: Wargamer
