Half of U.S. game workers want to join a union
According to the 2025 Game Industry Salary Report, 64 percent of developers support unions and 56 percent want to join one.
Over half of video game workers in the United States want to join a union, while almost two-thirds support unionization.
That's according to GDC's 2025 Game Industry Salary Report, which was published in November.
The survey, which collected answers from 562 industry professionals, notes that 56 percent of respondents aren't part of a union currently, but are interested in joining one. 64 percent said they support workers' unionization, while 28 percent said they wouldn't be interested in being part of a union.
In a similar vein to GDC's 2024 State of the Industry (SOTI) report, younger developers once again showed a higher interest in supporting unionization than their veteran colleagues. That metric also includes people who are currently unemployed and those making less than $100,000 per year.
In last year's SOTI report—which featured responses from over 3,000 developers—57 percent of respondents answered "yes" when asked whether workers in the game industry should unionize. 22 percent seemed more unsure and selected "maybe," and 12 percent responded with "no."
At the time, only 18 percent of respondents said unionization was actively being discussed at their workplace.
Support for unionization might be tied to low salaries
Continuing with 2024's report, a few developers outlined the pros of unionization, saying that being part of a union provides a workplace with tools to better fight for job security and benefits, while helping them more effectively address workplace toxicity.
"One of the departments at my company unionized and they were less impacted by layoffs than other departments," said one dev. "The U.S. work ethic is way more toxic than most Americans realize and employers will continue to take advantage of it until unions stand up and normalize a sane work-life balance," added another at the time.
Of course, unions can also be instrumental when asking for better pay. Based on the 2025 Game Industry Salary Report, salaries might be a substantial factor in driving union interest.
Around 80 percent of employed respondents said their current salary meets or exceeds their basic needs, with the highest levels of comfort being reported among workers in programming, visual arts, and management/operations. In general, one-third of respondents feel they're fairly compensated for their work—but this is far from the norm.
Over half (53 percent) of respondents say they feel somewhat or significantly undercompensated at their job. This is based on their role, experience, and market conditions. Notably, the number jumps to 69 percent for contractors, consultants, and people working part-time.
It's also worth mentioning the specific demographics of these results. 60 percent of women and non-binary people report feeling under-compensated, compared to 50 percent of men, along with 62 percent of non-white game workers, compared to 50 percent of those who identify solely as white.
Unions have been at the center of conversation this year as workers across the industry attempt to deliver better working conditions for themselves and their peers.
Back in April, following the launch of UVW-CWA—a direct-join union that attracted over 300 new members in a matter of days—union organizer and industry veteran Witt Yao said "the way we fight back is by teaching workers to stand up for themselves and stand up for one another."
More recently, Rockstar made headlines after firing over 30 employees for allegedly engaging in trade union activity. British labor union Independent Workers of Great Britain issued formal legal claims against the company in an attempt to fight back against what it claims was an egregious act of union busting.
Colleagues of those fired workers sent 220 letters to Rockstar management demanding their reinstatement. Supporters and union members have also been protesting outside the offices of Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive.
Game Developer and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa Festivals.