In short:
- Sega of America has unionized
- Why? “To protect the parts of the job we love.”
- It’s the fifth U.S. video game company to do so
- It’s the biggest overall thanks to multiple departments joining
Sega of America workers across several departments have successfully voted to unionize under the name of Allied Employees Guild Improving SEGA (AEGIS-CWA).
As reported by The Verge, it’s the fifth union to be created in the U.S.’ gaming industry, as well as the largest in terms of the diversity of departments involved.
Out of the 202 eligible employees, 91 voted yes to the creation of a union. “We’ll be able to protect the parts of our jobs we love, and strengthen the benefits, pay, and job stability available to all workers,” said Sega translator Ángel Gómez.
Sega joins four other publishers that include a union in the U.S.: Raven Software, Blizzard Albany, Tender Claws, and ZeniMax. But the four of them, except Tender Claws, only unionized in the QA department—one of the most precarious fields in video games.
Related: Microsoft seriously considered acquiring Sega and Bungie to bolster Xbox Game Pass
Unionizing has been a slow process in the video games industry. After major scandals surrounding crunch and burnout, and lawsuits regarding gender discrimination and harassment in the workplace, key discussions around mental health arose in the community.
Raven Software was the first publisher to create a major union in the video gaming industry on May 23, 2022, and more companies have since followed in its footsteps.
Now that Sega of America has created its own union and lengthened the list, it might encourage the creation of others in North America and in gaming, more generally.
