Workers at Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM have officially formed a union, becoming the first in the UK games industry. The move arrives after years of turmoil within the global industry, and follows layoffs at ZA/UM itself in early 2024.
Per workers, the unionisation is in an effort to protect staff, take back power, and shape ZA/UM for the better, heading into the future. With support from the IWGB (Independent Workers Union of Great Britain), there’s hope that staff will now be in a better position to negotiate for change, and discuss matters impacting all staff.
As noted by the IWGB in an official statement, the unionisation effort was not only inspired by movements within ZA/UM (it’s worth noting the studio has faced various internal conflicts over the last few years), but also the widespread trend of laying off games industry workers during financial downturn. As it noted, over 900 UK game workers were laid off in 2023, and ‘almost 15,000 worldwide workers in 2024.’
ZA/UM’s union members aim to spark change
‘Anyone working in the sector can see that the game has been rigged against us for far too long,’ Spring McParlin-Jones, Chair of the Game Workers Union said. ‘Now developers at ZA/UM are proving that by coming together as a union we can take back power and shape our workplaces for the better. We need to build an industry where workers can create exciting, meaningful games without sacrificing their social lives, their mental health, or their financial stability.’
There is hope ZA/UM’s union push will inspire similar developments in other teams around the UK, facing similar circumstances. In the modern games industry, it seems that layoffs have become a go-to switch for video game companies, with development jobs no longer stable or financially secure. As noted by McParlin-Jones, something has to change.
Eugenia Peruzzo, Organising Officer of the IWGB Game Workers Union, has also doubled down on this need in a press statement, confirming that an ‘avalanche’ of change is in on the way, as more workers grasp their power, and seek better stability overall.
‘Our first IWGB ZA/UM recognition agreement is a proof of the power that game workers have when they come together, trust each other and join our Union,’ Peruzzo said. ‘Recognition agreements lay the groundwork for a healthy relationship between the company and workers and rebalance the scale of powers after a few terrible years for the game industry and the redundancies we have seen happening at ZA/UM lately. We are looking forward to many more to come in the future.’
In its closing statement, the IWGB has shared a vision for a brighter future for the UK games industry, and encouraged workers to unionise to ‘work together for a stronger industry.’ Given similar movements in the United States, we expect others will soon follow in ZA/UM’s footsteps.
Also on ScreenHub: Final Episode: Road to Melbourne International Games Week 2025
Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) is kicking off this week. In our final episode, produced in partnership with Creative Victoria, we’re joined by Johnny Galvatron from studio Beethoven & Dinosaur to talk about Mixtape, the studio’s new game being demoed at Big Games Night Out during MIGW.
Mixtape is a coming-of-age story set against a soundtrack of 80s and 90s music. “Wasn’t it a fun and interesting time when you defined yourself just by what you liked?… I love the idea of kids defining themselves by their rock and roll t-shirts and what was on their playlists,” Galvatron reflects. We also spoke with Galvatron about the importance of MIGW and the strength of Melbourne’s creative culture.
