ZA/UM UK developers have formed the United Kingdom’s first recognized video game industry union, creating the Workers Alliance with representation from the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain. The unionization effort comes as the studio develops its next major project, espionage RPG Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, following years of internal turmoil and high-profile departures from the Disco Elysium creative team.
Historic Union Formation in UK Gaming
The Workers Alliance at ZA/UM UK represents a landmark achievement for labor organization in the British games industry. Announced through an exclusive interview with GamesIndustry.biz and a blog post on the IWGB website, this marks the first time UK game developers have achieved formal union recognition. The move follows growing concerns about job security and working conditions across the industry, with ZA/UM UK workers seeking to protect what they describe as their studio’s unique creative environment.
Poppy Ingham, marketing manager at ZA/UM UK, emphasized the collective motivation behind the union drive. “I think the workers at ZA/UM all agree that we have something unique at the studio that we want to preserve for years to come,” Ingham told GamesIndustry.biz. UI/UX designer Declan Keane added that the union represents “a large effort to solidify that” unique makeup of people, indicating workers want to maintain creative control and collaborative decision-making processes that have characterized their development approach.
Legacy of Disco Elysium Controversies
The union formation follows years of public turmoil at ZA/UM that began after the critical success of Disco Elysium in 2019. In 2022, game director and writer Robert Kurvitz published an open letter claiming the studio had been “stolen” from him and other core creatives. The controversy escalated with mutual accusations between management and the original creative team, including fraud allegations against CEO Ilmar Kompus and counter-claims about toxic working environments.
The disputes resulted in multiple lawsuits that remain ongoing and prompted two extensive investigative documentaries from People Make Games examining the studio’s internal conflicts. The aftermath saw three project cancellations, including a Disco Elysium sequel and an expansion that led to layoffs in 2024. Meanwhile, former key creatives from Disco Elysium have founded multiple new studios, fragmenting the original team that created the award-winning RPG.
Building a Sustainable Future
Current ZA/UM UK developers, many of whom worked on the original Disco Elysium but weren’t part of the core writing team, see the union as essential for creating stable working conditions. The Workers Alliance aims to establish formal channels for addressing workplace concerns and ensuring job security during the development of Zero Parades: For Dead Spies. This espionage RPG represents ZA/UM’s attempt to build on Disco Elysium’s narrative-driven gameplay in a new setting.
The unionization effort aligns with broader trends in the games industry, where workers at companies like Activision Blizzard and Raven Software have similarly organized for better conditions. According to IGDA research, only 21% of game developers reported having union representation in 2024, though interest in unionization has grown significantly following widespread industry layoffs affecting over 10,000 workers in the past two years.
Industry Implications and Worker Solidarity
The successful unionization at ZA/UM UK could inspire similar efforts across the UK’s £7.05 billion games industry. The IWGB, which represents workers in various gig economy and creative sectors, has been actively organizing in the games industry, seeing it as a natural extension of their work with other precarious workers. The union’s recognition establishes a precedent that could empower developers at other UK studios to pursue collective bargaining.
Declan Keane expressed optimism about the union’s potential impact on their creative output: “I want to play the games that this team makes.” This sentiment reflects the Workers Alliance’s goal of preserving the studio’s creative integrity while ensuring fair treatment for developers. The union’s formation represents a significant step toward addressing power imbalances that have historically plagued the games industry, where creative vision often clashes with corporate interests.
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