United Videogame Workers-CWA Is The First Industry-Wide Video Game Union

Game developers have been trying to unionize for a long time, and in recent years, that mission has only grown more urgent. In the aftermath of a boom in sales during the peak years of COVID-19, tens of thousands of developers have been laid off, countless studios (and gaming publications) have been shuddered, and morale in the industry is at an all-time low. It was only a matter of time (and considerable effort) before game developers as an industry formed a union and United Videogame Workers-CWA looks to be the product of that long wait.

Announced during GDC, the new union is partnered with the Communications Workers of America, a union with several other affiliated subsidiaries covering workers like flight attendants, broadcast employees, and some game studio-specific unions, like those affecting workers at Sega or Zenimax. UVW-CWA is a direct-join union unaffiliated with specific employers, meaning anyone in the industry is free to join, regardless of where they're employed. You can even join if you're in a temporary position, like a contractor or freelancer, or if you're not currently employed at all, giving the thousands of laid-off workers a way to organize while looking for work.

The front and back cover of the zine UVW-CWA distributed during GDC 2025.

To that end, as part of the launch, the UVW-CWA is organizing a petition "demanding dignity and job security for all video game workers, particularly those facing layoffs." It calls on employers to give notice before layoffs, extend healthcare coverage for those who lost their jobs, give workers control over whether they use technology like generative AI, and generally adopt more sustainable growth models rather than short-term boom and bust cycles.

The union's formation has more to do with recent layoffs, however. In a statement accompanying the announcement, CWA president Claude Cummings Jr. says it's got to do with a lack of respect for workers. "As video game studios have consolidated, the workers whose creativity, dedication, and skill bring the games to life have become more an afterthought," he says. "They are subject to endless cycles of layoffs and rehiring as corporate executives pursue short-term profits at the expense of a sustainable future."

Interested parties can learn more about the organization by visiting its site or reading a digital copy of a zine the union produced to hand out at GDC. For more GDC, check out the list of winners from their annual awards show or read about the new accessibility initiative backed by Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, and more.