Wizards of the Coast won’t voluntarily recognize the union formed by its Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering creative teams, which means the workers will now have to win a formal union election. It’s the next step after the D&D team and Studio X announced on Oct. 6 that they were joining United Wizards of the Coast, and asked the company to recognize them by Oct. 13.
The company gave its answer on that deadline. “Yesterday, Wizards informed us that it doesn’t intend to voluntarily recognize the D&D or Studio X units of our union ahead of a vote,” United Wizards of the Coast-CWA posted on X on Wednesday, Oct. 14. “We remain committed to creating a workplace focused on wellness, transparency, and collaboration by winning our coming election.”
What Wizards told its staff
Wizards’ press representatives sent Wargamer a copy of an email that went to the company’s U.S. staff, and a Wizards spokesperson confirmed the decision. The email says “it is the right of every eligible employee to decide whether union representation is right for them,” and argues that a vote gives everyone affected an equal voice.
It also makes clear where management stands. “We are best able to keep building great games and a great place to work by working directly with employees, not through unions. In this regard, Wizards is not neutral on the question of unionization,” the email reads. It adds that “in the end, we will respect the results of the election, no matter what our employees choose,” and that “We expect conversations to remain respectful and that no one will be treated differently based on where they stand.”
The email lists benefits that Wizards says were “accomplished together in direct collaboration.” Among them are an “Individual Contributor average base salary in Wizards that is up 20% since 2023, well above external benchmarks,” “Annual bonuses including 200% of target in 2025,” and “Five weeks of paid time off in addition to paid company break weeks and holidays.” Hasbro hasn’t commented separately.
Where the vote stands
The union filed election petitions with the National Labor Relations Board on Oct. 6, the same day it went public. The board’s case records list two separate units in Renton, Washington: 242 employees in Studio X, the group behind tabletop Magic and Duel Masters, and 83 employees on the Dungeons & Dragons team. Both cases are open in the board’s Seattle region. The union filed a motion on Oct. 15 to postpone or reschedule a hearing in each case, and no election date has been posted.
The workers have been here before. United Wizards of the Coast was started by the Magic: The Gathering Arena team, and Wizards didn’t voluntarily recognize that unit either. Wargamer reports the Arena election passed with 83% of workers in favor.
What the union wants
The union’s platform calls for “Fair wages, career progression, and job security,” “Remote work protections and sustainable workloads,” “Reliable and easily accessible healthcare,” “Protection against the encroachment of AI,” and “Full ownership of what we create outside of work.” On workloads it says, “We have been asked to do more work with less regard for our personal lives.”
The fight is over the most profitable part of Hasbro. In its second-quarter results, Hasbro reported that its Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment made $567.7 million in operating profit in the first six months of 2026, up 20% from a year earlier.
The union is also asking fans to keep up the pressure. On Oct. 17, it said more than 42,000 people had signed its petition calling on Wizards to voluntarily recognize the union.
