Bethesda Game Studios union members hit the streets again yesterday in nine cities across the US and Canada, waving signs and marching under the "Save Our Devs" banner as part of ongoing OneBGS-CWA actions against Microsoft's wave of Xbox layoffs. The protests target the elimination of roughly 440 union-represented positions at Bethesda, ZeniMax, and id Software out of 1,600 total Xbox cuts, with another 1,600 reportedly planned through mid-2027.

Union reps Nathan Hahn and Alex Nguyen told Kotaku that pre-Microsoft Zenimax rarely resorted to layoffs, instead giving teams time to course-correct after rough launches like Fallout 76 or The Elder Scrolls Online. Since the acquisition, Hahn noted, "all of a sudden we have yearly layoffs," and management sat on a February union proposal for fair reduction-in-force terms for four months before proceeding anyway. Nguyen pushed back on claims that only middle management was affected, pointing out that "people on the ground making sure that this game works and putting it in the hands of players" were among those let go, stripping away institutional knowledge in the process.

CWA filed unfair labor practice complaints with the NLRB last month alleging bad-faith bargaining and coercive actions, while remaining staff report job morale at historic lows. Yet Hahn added that organizing morale is "on the upswing" as the union keeps pushing for recall rights, better severance, and a return to the bargaining table. The rallies coincide with reports of Microsoft leadership visiting Bethesda offices amid Elder Scrolls VI development, and the protests show no signs of cooling off.