Wizards of the Coast employees working on Magic: The Gathering's digital client Arena are unionizing in affiliation with the Communication Workers of America (CWA), a large labor union which has helped 132,000 workers across a range of sectors achieve representation.
On April 27, 2026 these employees published an open letter, under the name United Wizards of the Coast, inviting WotC to voluntarily recognize the union and to publicly commit to remaining neutral during the organization process.
They list lay off protections, remote work protections, and generative AI protections as some of the reasons that a "supermajority of employees" are committed to this cause, along with a sustainable workload and defined career progression.
The open letter states that a return-to-office mandate is being implemented at WotC, requiring employees currently working remotely across the country to relocate closer to Wizards' Renton, Washington office. "Based on company profits, we have demonstrated the ability to meet and exceed our product goals without the in office structure," the letter argues.
It also describes increased pressure to use AI tools, "often over the explicit concerns of impacted employees", and calls for a 'robust' AI policy.
The workers are also seeking to create "strong layoff protections so that we can feel secure in creating long-term careers here at WOTC." Wizards' parent company Hasbro had a significant round of layoffs in December 2023, with approximately 1,100 workers across different brands losing their jobs, including some job cuts at Wizards.
According to its website, United Wizards of the Coast represents over 100 MTGA workers, from artists and designers to programmers and QA. They seek not only to achieve better working conditions for themselves, but to "encourage and catalyze future worker-focused efforts across the industry."
Wargamer has reached out to Wizards of the Coast for comment, but has not yet received a response.