Bethesda Union Deploys Giant Inflatable Rat Against Xbox Layoffs

The Bethesda Game Studios Union, OneBGS-CWA, organized a protest against Microsoft's Xbox layoffs by greeting visiting executives with a giant inflatable rat named Scabby and hundreds of red flags across the grounds.

The demonstration was held outside the company's headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. Scabby is a common symbol used at US labor protests to represent workers' dissatisfaction.

Nathan Hahn, a technical producer and member of OneBGS-CWA, explained that the union decided to make its presence visible after learning about Microsoft leadership's visit. Initially, workers put up posters around the office but were told they couldn't be displayed outside their cubicles.

A group of laid-off developers planted around 800 red flags outside the office, one for each worker who had lost their job since July. The flags served as a public reminder of the impact of the layoffs on employees and their colleagues.