Double Advantageous, the first-party Xbox recreation developer behind Psychonauts, is forming a union. As Aftermath studies, the studio has filed a petition with the Nationwide Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Might 7 to type a union with the Communications Staff of America (CWA) involving all 42 common part-time and full-time workers.
CWA informed the publication that the studio made the choice to prepare to “protect and lengthen [its] commitments to artistic excellence, range and inclusion, and employee high quality of life.” Staff are asking Microsoft for voluntary recognition, along with submitting an election petition with the NLRB to safe union illustration. “We respect that Microsoft has taken a impartial method and agreed to not intrude in any manner with employee’s rights to prepare unions,” the labor union mentioned.
The employees of Double Advantageous are following within the footsteps of different Microsoft-owned developer teams which have unionized up to now. Greater than 500 World of Warcraft workers inside Blizzard fashioned a union with the CWA in 2024, whereas the Overwatch group formed a wall-to-wall union with practically 200 builders virtually a 12 months later. The standard assurance workers of ZeniMax Studios, maybe greatest identified for its work on The Elder Scrolls On-line, ratified their union settlement with Microsoft final 12 months. And in August 2025, greater than 450 Diablo developers at Blizzard have voted to unionize with the CWA, as properly.
Double Advantageous grew to become a part of Microsoft in 2019, virtually 20 years are it launched Psychonauts, a recreation a couple of younger boy with psychic talents. Below Xbox Sport Studios, it launched Psychonauts 2, Keeper, an journey recreation that includes a sentient lighthouse, and multiplayer pottery recreation Kiln.
