Workers rally at Bethesda headquarters over Xbox layoffs
Hundreds of employees and supporters protested Xbox job cuts at Zenimax’s Rockville headquarters, with similar union actions held in other cities.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Hundreds of Bethesda Game Studios and Zenimax Online Studios workers and supporters rallied outside Zenimax’s headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, on Thursday to protest layoffs across Xbox, Ars Technica reported. The demonstration matters because union workers said the cuts have hit development and quality assurance teams hard.
The lunchtime protest took place as temperatures approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Ars Technica. It was one of five actions organized by Zenimax Workers United and its parent union, the Communication Workers of America, with other rallies planned at offices in Texas, California and Montreal, the union said in a Bluesky post cited by Ars Technica.
Protesters carried signs criticizing the layoffs and calling for better treatment of players and workers, Ars Technica reported. Some signs used video game references, including one that read, “Layoffs... layoffs never change,” while another said, “Our players deserve better.”
Union organizers and employees addressed the crowd with speeches and songs, according to Ars Technica. The central message from attendees was solidarity and opposition to job cuts that workers said have reduced their development and QA teams.
Nathan Hahn, a Bethesda technical producer and volunteer organizer with the union, told Ars Technica the rally was meant to make workers visible to Xbox management. “It's about us building our movement and making sure that we get seen and we're visible,” Hahn said. “Because we want to make sure that we're not okay with these layoffs and that Xbox knows.”
The Rockville action followed broader layoffs across Xbox, according to Ars Technica. Zenimax Workers United and the Communication Workers of America organized the demonstrations as a coordinated response at multiple offices tied to the company’s game development operations.
Ars Technica reported that employees and supporters at the Maryland rally framed the protest as a pushback against cuts they believe have damaged teams responsible for building and testing games. The unions did not limit the action to one studio, instead staging events across several regions where affected workers are based.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.