A few months ago, CD Projekt Red announced it was laying off 100 staff in the first quarter of 2024. Now, some from the company have formed a union, which will offer support to game developers in Poland.
Creating a voice for employee concerns
As spotted by PC Gamer, the Polish Gamedev Workers Union is, as the name suggests, a trade union whose purpose is “connecting all professions and people working in the game development sector in Poland.”
Set up by some of the staff at CD Projekt Red, the union was formed shortly after the Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 studio announced it would be letting 9% of its workforce go. PGWU is almost certainly a response to this.
The FAQ page itself says that they want “employees’ voices to be directly heard when making decisions that affect all of us,” noting the “significant changes that CD Projekt is undergoing.”
It’s been a tough time for employed developers lately. It seems that even those working at AAA studios are not immune. Not long ago, The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance announced it was laying off more than 30 members of staff.
Likewise, The Last of Us studio Naughty Dog is also undergoing a series of layoffs despite the enormous success of the company. On top of that, Microsoft announced more than 10,000 layoffs at the start of this year, with Halo outfit 343 Industries hit pretty hard.
However, staff at CD Projekt Red forming a union could send a positive message about how workers can fight back. Anyone who is a developer in Poland who wishes to join can do so by filling out this form.
