Game developers launch North America's first industry-wide union 'to build worker power irrespective of studio and current job status'

(Image credit: United Videogame Workers - CWA)

Videogame workers throughout North America have launched a new union as part of the Communications Workers of America called "United Videogame Workers—CWA," a "direct-join organization" that enables "artists, writers, designers, QA testers, programmers, freelancers and beyond to build worker power irrespective of studio and current job status."

UVW-CWA said in its announcement that the union's mission is "to not only build community and solidarity amongst videogame workers, but also to build large-scale education campaigns about labor organizing in the videogame industry." Its initial focus will be on layoffs: The union said one in 10 game developers were laid off in 2024, which came on top of a comparably catastrophic 2023.

Today, we are announcing the formation of United Videogame Workers-CWA, an industry-wide union formed by @codecwa.bsky.social and @cwaunion.bsky.social &#128170;&#127918;We're launching at #GDC2025 this morning to build a video game industry that works for us. We're done playing. — (Image credit: United Videogame Workers - CWA (Bluesky))

"Job instability looms over us all, as corporate greed drives mass layoffs, studio closures, and the scorched-earth acquisitions of our workplaces," UVW-CWA said in a publication released alongside the union's announcement. "Meanwhile, AI threatens to devalue our skills and erase our labor, with executives rushing to replace us with tools built on the very work they exploit. We are left scrambling for stability, overworked in endless crunch, and strung along by promises that never materialize."

The announcement of the union is timed to coincide with the 2025 Game Developers Conference, which is currently underway. UVW-CWA is holding a GDC panel entitled Videogame Labor at a Crossroads: New Pathways to Industry-Wide Organizing, and will also be sharing a petition to gain support for the unionization effort.

Impromptu CWA rally at GDC in Moscone West. — (Image credit: Chris Kerr (Bluesky))

The CWA has previously helped organize unions at individual game studios including Raven Software, Activision, and Bethesda, but the new UVW-CWA union is open to developers of all stripes, regardless of where they work (as long as it's in Canada or the US) or whether their individual workplace is already organized or in the process of doing so.

That said, "We wholeheartedly encourage and support people who want to unionize their workplace," UVW-CWA wrote. "But sometimes people have trouble unionizing their workplace, or are a contractor/freelancer, or get laid off from the place they were organizing, or just don’t even know who else to talk to at their company. UVW-CWA exists for us to support each other while we push for industry-wide changes."

More information on UVW-CWA and its mission can be found at uvw-cwa.org.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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