Double Fine developers are preparing to unionize under Microsoft

Double Fine Productions workers are moving toward unionization, giving employees at the Xbox owned studio a formal way to speak together on pay, benefits, workplace conditions, and quality of life.

The effort became public through a petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board on May 7, 2026. The union push is being organized with the Communications Workers of America and is expected to include both full time and part time employees.

Double Fine is one of Xbox’s most recognizable creative studios. It is best known for Psychonauts, Psychonauts 2, Keeper, and Kiln. Microsoft acquired the studio in 2019, and Double Fine has continued to operate as one of the more distinctive teams inside Xbox Game Studios.

The workers say the goal is to protect and extend the studio’s focus on creative quality, diversity and inclusion, and worker wellbeing. The group has also requested voluntary recognition from Microsoft while filing for a formal union election.

Microsoft says it supports employees’ right to choose how they are represented in the workplace. The company has also taken a neutral approach to union organizing, meaning it has agreed not to interfere with workers’ rights to organize.

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The move comes during a difficult period for the game industry, with layoffs, canceled projects, studio closures, and rising pressure on developers. In that climate, unionization gives workers a clearer path to negotiate and protect their interests.

For Xbox, this could matter beyond one studio. Microsoft now owns a large number of developers, and organizing efforts at one team can influence the wider ecosystem. If Double Fine’s union effort moves forward smoothly, other teams may see it as another sign that unionization is becoming more normal inside major game companies.

Double Fine’s identity has always been tied to unusual, creative games. A union could help workers protect that culture while giving them more say in how the studio operates. The process is not finished yet, but the filing marks an important step for the studio and for labor organizing inside Xbox.