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# "Scared workers are neither happy nor productive:" D&D and Magic: The Gathering staff seek to unionize
- URL: https://www.verticalslice.news/scared-workers-are-neither-happy-nor-productive-d-d-and-magic-the-gathering-staff-seek-to-unionize/
- Published: 2026-10-08T10:00:04.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T10:00:04.000Z
- Description: Those involved are seeking generative AI protections, fair wages, accessible healthcare, and more.
- Author: Chris Kerr
- Tags: News, Labour

Wizards of the Coast workers behind Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Duel Masters, and D&D Beyond have [signalled their intent to unionize](https://unitedwizardsofthecoast.com/news/dnd-studiox-join-uwotc-cwa?ref=verticalslice.news) with support from the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The group informed Wizards of the Coasts leadership of their decision on October 5, 2026, and called on the company to voluntarily recognise the union by October 13.

Those involved are seeking fair wages, job security, accessible healthcare, sustainable workloads, remote and hybrid working provisions, generative AI protections, and full ownership of work created outside the office. 

"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, they explained, before claiming that Wizards of the Coast staff are currently being "asked to do more work with less regard for our personal lives."

"Intensive crunch and forced RTO aren’t just bad for business. They hurt workers’ families and communities, which in turn affects the work we can produce," they added. 

Unionising workers also accused Wizards of the Coast of pushing for the adoption of LLMs and generative AI technology without any regard for the desires of its teams. "This has to stop; our teams deserve a robust and enforceable AI policy that aligns with our goals and values," they continued, [outlining their stance in a petition](https://actionnetwork.org/forms/uwotcpetition/?ref=verticalslice.news).

It's a sentiment echoed by unions across the wider gaming industry. That includes a 1,900-strong cohort at [Blizzard Entertainment](https://cwa-union.org/news/releases/blizzard-entertainment-workers-ratify-historic-video-game-contracts-cwa?ref=verticalslice.news), which recently secured new union contracts that included guardrails around AI usage, layoff protections, and remote and hybrid work benefits. 

Union member and Dungeons & Dragons senior game designer, Joey Haeck, explained they areorganizing “because scared workers are neither happy nor productive."

"By organizing to negotiate a fair contract on issues of layoff protections, forced relocation protections, equitable pay and career advancement, mandatory AI use protections, parental support, and more, we make our game better by investing in our human creators and resisting the churn and brain drain caused by roller-coaster layoffs," Haeck added.

The news comes a few months after developers behind *Magic: The Gathering Arena* successfully voted to unionize under the [United Wizards of the Coast-CWA (UWOTC-CWA) banner](https://unitedwizardsofthecoast.com/news/2026-06-23-we-have-a-union?ref=verticalslice.news). 

The Dungeons & Dragons and Studio X (Magic: The Gathering, Duel Masters) teams intend to join the ranks of UWOTC-CWA and said they were inspired by the union's "landmark victory."

Vertical Slice has reached out to Wizards of the Coast for comment.