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The U.S. video game industry encounters a drastic shift as the workers unite together against the recent rollbacks and the uncertainty in the jobs. During the Game Developers Conference, held in March 2025, the CWA Local 9433 (UVW-CWA) an industry wide union which was formed in partnership with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). The aim of forming this union is to ease the process of joining the jobs (full-time, freelance, contract, & even laid-off workers) without going through the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) certification process. But the dismissal of NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox and other legal maneuvers had sparked the concerns and questions regarding the administration of the U.S. government which undermines the worker’s rights.
Meanwhile, this movement is driven by the layoffs which wiped off the jobs of over 10,5000 people in 2023 and 14,600 in 2024. Also, they demanded the list of basic rights including,
- Advance notice period before layoff.
- Improved severance packages.
- Extended health insurance (laid-off workers)
- Rights for rehiring.
- Control over the use of generative AI in game development.
Such collective efforts of the professionals in the video game industry underpins the growing resolve among the game developers and artists in protecting their rights and enhancing their working conditions.
