"I decided to get involved in organizing my studio because I've seen so many peers in the industry stand up to protect the craft we all care so deeply about. Watching that momentum grow made me realize that if we love this work, we have to protect it, especially now."
Heart Machine, the independent studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, has formed a union with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9003, covering all 13 frontline employees. The studio voluntarily recognized the union in February after a supermajority of eligible workers voted for unionization. This organizing effort follows significant challenges at the studio, including staff layoffs in November 2024 and the announcement in October 2025 to end development on Hyper Light Breaker. Heart Machine's unionization expands CWA's gaming sector presence, which already includes thousands of employees at Microsoft subsidiaries, Id Software, and other studios. CWA also operates United Videogame Workers, a direct-join union launched in 2025 allowing individual game workers in the US and Canada to unionize independently.
#game-industry-unionization #cwa-labor-organization #heart-machine #worker-rights #independent-game-studios
Read at Engadget
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