Over 300 employees rise against Microsoft, including testers of the MMORPG ESO

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The workers of the QA team who work on Bethesda titles such as the Fallout series or Elder Scrolls online are full. You have waited too long for progress in the negotiation for better working conditions, but unfortunately not to your satisfaction.

What is the conflict? Over 300 testers of the QA team, who are responsible for quality assurance from various games such as the MMORPG to The Elder Scrolls, take the next step. You voted for a strike because the negotiation for a fairer remuneration with Microsoft has stalled. This strike has not yet come into force, but could be initiated at any time.

In a press release, a senior qa tester commented on the situation: “None of us wishes that it had to go that far, but if Microsoft and Zenimax continue to demonstrate at the negotiating table that they are not ready to pay us fair wages for the value that our work for our games represents, we will show you how valuable our work is.”

Everything you need to know about The Elder Scrolls online – in 2 minutes

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A strike as the last solution

What does the testers move to this measure? The Bethesdas quality assurance union has been negotiating better working conditions for two years. The main concerns include better wages, improvements in the workplace on site, as well as better precautions for working in the home office. (via PC gamer)

“Many of us have caused us to pay back payment and expensive back office initiatives to put our lives on ice because our income cannot even keep up with the increasing living costs in the cities where Zenimax insists that we live and work to keep our jobs,” explains a senior QA tester in the press release.

What is the reaction in the community? In the subreddit to Elder Scrolls Online, the reaction of the players to the situation is pretty unanimous:

  • Thewidows0n finds: “I think that these companies can only be obtained to pay a fair share if they are forced to do so.”
  • Sailoresmeraude comments: “I really hope that the strike will go well.”
  • Piperro_v3 says: “Good luck to the workers. This is Microsoft, damn it, no small shop on the corner, they can afford sick pay. It is ridiculous that a strike is necessary at all.”

    • Despite the tense situation, The Elder Scrolls Online is still one of the best MMORPGs on Steam and occupies 5th place in our current list in February 2025. If you like MMORPGs and are looking for further inspiration, please feel free to read this list here on meinmmo: The 10 MMORPGs on Steam with the best reviews in April 2025

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