North American video game workers launch industry-wide union with Communications Workers of America

Workers across the U.S. and Canada launched the United Videogame Workers-CWA Local 9433, a direct-join, industry-wide video game union with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in partnership with the American Federation of Musicians (AFM).

They announced this powerful new organization at the 2025 Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, the world’s largest industry event for video game professionals.

“Our mission is to take back our lives, our labo[u]r and our passion from those who treat us like replaceable cogs; to empower our fellow workers; to link up arms with the laid off, with the freelancer, with the disillusioned contractor, with the disenfranchised and the marginalized, with the workers labouring invisibly to keep this industry afloat,” reads UVW-CWA’s mission statement. “We are going to create a game industry that works for us, one that nourishes its talent and invests in its future, rather than constantly seeking short-term profits. We are the ones that make the games, so we must be the ones that set the terms of how we work.”

The launch of UVW-CWA also coincides with the fifth anniversary of CODE-CWA, which has helped over 6,500 tech and video game workers organize to join the union since 2020. 

“The creation of this union was not done in isolation; it’s a cumulative effort by the thousands of video game workers who have been fighting for years to redefine what it means to stand together and reclaim power in one of the largest and highest-grossing industries on the globe,” said Tom Smith, CWA’s Senior Director of Organizing. “These workers are taking a bold stand, joining together to build power for the workers behind the games we all know and love.”

As part of the United Videogame Workers-CWA launch, members will be gathering signatures for a petition demanding dignity and job security for all video game workers, particularly those facing layoffs. The video game industry is one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the world, with huge revenue increases in recent years.

Across the industry, over 10,500 jobs were lost in 2023, and an additional 14,600 jobs were lost in 2024. According to the GDC 2025 State of the Game Industry, over 10 per cent of surveyed game developers reported being laid off in 2024. Over 30 studios have laid off their entire staff and were closed by their parent companies, including some of the largest and most profitable corporations like Microsoft and Sony Interactive Entertainment.

The full petition can be found here. 

Direct-join organizing, sometimes referred to as pre-majority unionism, enables workers – including freelancers and the thousands of video game workers who were laid off in recent years – to build power across the industry without the obstacles and delays that employers can impose during the traditional union certification process. It also makes it easier for workers to address shared concerns beyond just one video game studio.

“The formation of United Video Game Workers-CWA is an exciting next step in our union’s work to help video game workers build power in their industry,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “As video game studios have consolidated, the workers whose creativity, dedication, and skill bring the games to life have become more an afterthought. They are subject to endless cycles of layoffs and rehiring as corporate executives pursue short-term profits at the expense of a sustainable future.

Workers and musicians in the United States/Canada who are interested in becoming members can apply here. 

“The global movement to transform the video game industry just got stronger,” said Karri Lybeck, Senior Coordinator at UNI Global Union. “Video game workers around the world are rejecting the exploitation of crunch culture, the insecurity of precarious contracts, and inadequate wages that fail to reflect their immense dedication and talent. Together, we’re committed to creating not just groundbreaking games, but workplaces that set new standards for fairness and excellence.”