Wizards of the Coast Union Grows, Demands an End to Generative AI Push

The Dungeons & Dragons team and Team X, which works on Magic: The Gathering and Duel Masters, are joining the existing Wizards of the Coast union (UWOTC-CWA). They are asking Hasbro and Wizards leadership to stop pushing generative AI and to adopt an enforceable AI policy. Wizards has until October 13 to voluntarily recognize the expanded unit.

A bigger bargaining unit

The union started with the Magic: The Gathering Arena team, which unionized in April. The company did not voluntarily recognize that group, and the union won its union election anyway. Adding the D&D team and Team X would widen the unit to cover much of the studio's work on its two flagship franchises.

If Hasbro declines to recognize the expanded unit by the October 13 deadline, the union would have to file with the National Labor Relations Board and win another election, the same route the Arena team took.

The AI demand

The union's petition lays out its position on generative AI directly. "Leadership, without regard for the desires of our teams, has pushed for adoption of LLMs and generative AI," it reads. "This has to stop; our teams deserve a robust and enforceable AI policy that aligns with our goals and values."

Generative AI has been a sore point for both of the company's big tabletop properties. For a workforce that makes art, writing, and game design for a living, the question of whether leadership expects them to use these tools, or to compete with them, sits close to the core of the job.

Ownership of work done off the clock

The union is also repeating a demand from its April announcement letter: employees should own what they create outside of work. The letter described the current situation this way: "Currently, if an employee makes anything creative in their free time, with their own resources, Hasbro may claim ownership." It continued: "What we do in our free time should not be dictated by the company; neither should what we make in our free time be owned by the company."

How the company has responded so far

In May, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro missed the deadline to voluntarily recognize the union formed by the Arena developers. Later that month, WotC wrote to its employees warning that unionizing could mean staff "end up with more, the same or less than [they] have now." The message also suggested that "your voice is strongest when it is heard directly."

Whether the company takes a different approach with the larger group will become clear when the October 13 deadline passes.