Game Studio Workers Form Union After Weathering Layoffs

Game developers are taking their futures into their own hands, and the latest victory comes from a small studio that refused to let hard times divide them.

All 13 frontline employees at Heart Machine, the indie studio behind beloved titles Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, successfully formed a union with Communications Workers of America Local 9003. The studio voluntarily recognized the union in February after a supermajority voted yes.

The timing matters. Heart Machine laid off workers in November 2024, then announced last October it would end development on its early access game Hyper Light Breaker and cut additional staff. Instead of scattering in different directions, the remaining team chose to organize.

"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," said Steph Aligbe, a gameplay tools engineer at Heart Machine. "Watching that momentum grow made me realize that if we love this work, we have to protect it, especially now."

The Ripple Effect

Heart Machine's union extends a movement that's reshaping the gaming industry. The CWA now represents thousands of gaming workers at Microsoft subsidiaries, EA, Id Software, and other major companies.

The union also launched United Videogame Workers in 2025, allowing individual game developers across the US and Canada to join directly without waiting for workplace elections or employer approval. That means workers can access union support and resources even if their specific studio hasn't organized yet.

The push comes as gaming faces an employment crisis. Major publishers like Ubisoft have conducted wave after wave of layoffs, leaving talented developers scrambling for stability in an industry they love.

But workers are responding with solidarity rather than resignation. Each new union represents developers choosing collective voice over individual vulnerability, especially at smaller studios where every job loss hits harder.

When 13 people at an indie studio can turn layoffs into momentum for lasting change, they prove that worker power doesn't require massive numbers—just shared determination.