The emergence of labour unions within the video‑game sector has become one of the most discussed developments of the last ten years. Across the globe, employees are increasingly demanding safeguards for their rights as they confront demanding schedules, inadequate management practices, and a host of other workplace challenges.
In a remarkably short period, a multitude of game‑specific unions have been established, and they have already shown tangible benefits for their members. For example, SAG‑AFTRA organised a strike that secured higher wages and explicit protections against the misuse of artificial intelligence for voice‑over artists in games.
Workers at ZeniMax staged a walk‑out to protest policies surrounding remote work and the outsourcing of tasks. Similarly, union‑led demonstrations have taken place outside the headquarters of major publishers such as Rockstar Games, Activision, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Riot Games and Build A Rocket Boy, among others.
The pattern shows no sign of slowing, and collaborating effectively with unions is now a strategic priority for many game studios. This issue will be examined in depth at the upcoming HR Summit on 1 October, underscoring how union dialogue has moved from a fringe conversation to a central business consideration. "When Game Workers Unite launched eight years ago, there were virtually no unions or game‑workers represented in unions," explains Austin Kelmore, co‑founder of the IWGB Game Workers and Game Worker Solidarity. "Today, more than 130 distinct groups across over 15 countries have organised and secured concrete improvements in their workplaces.
The debate has shifted from ‘Should the games industry unionise?’ to ‘Which group of workers will unionise next?’" Kelmore adds that the movement has already amplified workers’ voices and delivered significant victories, though full union coverage of the industry remains a work in progress. "We have achieved an extraordinary amount of progress in a relatively brief timeframe, but there is still a long road ahead to achieve universal unionisation in games," he says. In France, Marc Rutschlé, a representative of Solidaires Informatique at Ubisoft Paris, notes that union presence has expanded dramatically within French studios. "Five years ago there were no unions represented on the Comité Social et Economique.
Now unions are present in almost every Ubisoft entity in France, and some locations host several unions. This is typical for a French company and signals a maturing social dialogue," he observes. Rutschlé also warns that the broader French video‑game sector is under severe strain, with many large studios facing bankruptcy or initiating layoffs, making the next one or two years highly uncertain.
Poland offers another illustrative case. The Polish Gamedev Workers Union, founded only two years ago as part of the nationwide grassroots organisation The Workers Initiative, now has formal recognition in ten Polish studios, representing roughly half of its membership; the remainder work for smaller developers. Union member Artur Ganszyniec explains that the legal framework governing trade unions in Poland is outdated, having been drafted in the 1980s for heavy‑industry contexts, and it favours employers, limiting unions’ capacity to act.
Despite these constraints, the Polish union has already provided vital services: representing staff during layoffs, offering legal assistance, navigating complex Polish labour law, negotiating workplace standards, and creating an informal support network for members. Kelmore highlights a litany of achievements secured by game‑industry unions worldwide: four‑day work weeks, salary raises, hybrid and remote work options, AI usage safeguards, contractual bonuses, six‑hour workdays, reduced layoff numbers, anti‑harassment measures, and multimillion‑dollar settlements for mistreated employees. He recounts a personal episode where his employer attempted to discipline him, only for the union to have the sanction dismissed, and how collective action helped negotiate better redundancy terms for both departing and remaining staff. Beyond material gains, union members report a profound shift in mindset.
"When workers experience the power of collective action, they never forget it. That empowerment fuels further advocacy both inside and outside the workplace," Kelmore says. Unions have also forced companies to confront legal realities. Early on, much of the union casework involved educating executives about their legal obligations, compelling firms to adopt proper disciplinary, grievance and redundancy procedures, to accommodate disabilities and neurodiversity as required by law, and to recognise that workers often possess a deeper understanding of the regulations than management does.
As unions grow, they can exert pressure on senior leadership. Kelmore cites Microsoft’s recent agreement with the Communications Workers of America for 1,900 Blizzard staff, which delivered hybrid‑work flexibility, AI protections, recall rights after layoffs, severance above industry norms, and wage increases of up to 34 %. "Company leaders are learning that the more power workers build, the more concessions they must make if they want projects completed," he notes.
Rutschlé points to AI protections as a particularly urgent issue, calling artificial intelligence "the biggest enemy of video games right now" because it threatens creative roles and fuels speculative investment cycles that have contributed to studio closures. He argues that unions provide a counter‑narrative to corporate messaging that often downplays problems. "HR will tell you everything is fine, which is usually far from the truth. Unions are the people you turn to when something goes wrong," he says.
Looking forward, unions still confront significant hurdles, both universal and region‑specific. In Poland, for instance, the default employment model protected by labour law is increasingly being replaced by civil contracts. Roughly 40 % of Polish developers now operate as one‑person companies, earning slightly higher fees but forfeiting basic employee protections such as paid sick leave and notice periods.
These arrangements often skirt legal boundaries, and proving violations in court is difficult, so unions focus on education for both developers and studios. Historical scepticism toward trade unions in Poland, combined with aggressive legal challenges from some companies, hampers recruitment. Ganszyniec notes that many firms spend substantial sums on legal fees to sue unions and stall cooperation, discouraging potential members. Even where unions have secured early victories, fear of retaliation remains prevalent.
Rutschlé observes that many game workers still worry about punitive actions from management, while Kelmore highlights persistent misconceptions that organising is inherently good or bad, when in reality it is a neutral tool that can be shaped by its participants. "Unions are collections of messy, complicated people. They make mistakes, have conflicts, and evolve. I support unions not because they are inherently virtuous, but because they give ordinary workers a platform to protect their interests," Kelmore explains.
With dozens of unions now active across the industry and more emerging, representatives agree that coordinated efforts amplify impact. Ganszyniec argues that legal and economic systems in any sector, including game development, heavily favour corporations, making collective organisation essential for a balanced power dynamic.
He stresses that the tacit knowledge held by specialist developers must be preserved through better working conditions, fair salaries, layoff mitigation strategies, knowledge‑sharing platforms, and support networks that keep experienced talent within the field and pass expertise to junior staff. Kelmore adds that cross‑union collaboration accelerates progress. He has taken training from unions outside his own affiliation, exchanged detailed documents, and participated in worldwide conferences where unions from the US, Canada, France, the UK and elsewhere protest together—for example, workers in North America demonstrated outside Take‑Two on behalf of colleagues in Britain.
Such solidarity, he believes, builds collective strength. Rutschlé concludes that whether acting alone or in partnership, unions that secure healthier, more sustainable work environments ultimately benefit the whole industry.
"Better conditions reduce turnover, attract a more diverse talent pool beyond the stereotypical young white male engineer, and lead to richer, more innovative games," he says. The GamesIndustry.biz HR Summit, returning to London on 1 October with a focus on People & Leadership, will feature two dedicated sessions offering guidance and best practices for HR and people professionals on constructive engagement with trade unions. Tickets are available through the event’s website.