Evil West and Shadow Warrior 3 developer Flying Wild Hog has unionized under the banner of the Polish Gamedev Workers Union.
This news comes via a post on the union’s official LinkedIn page, wherein the union welcomes Flying Wild Hog to its ranks and celebrates “the first studio under Embracer” to join it.
Flying Wild Hog also represents the third studio unionized under the Polish Gamedev Workers Union’s umbrella, with the other two being CD Projekt and Frostpunk 2 developer 11 bit studios, according to the union’s official website.
The Polish Gamedev Workers Union says its members gain access to “union representation and a chance to actively shape their workplace”.
According to the union’s FAQ, membership is, or can be, anonymous, but studios can choose to disclose their membership if they wish. Technically, Flying Wild Hog didn’t announce its membership, but the union presumably has its blessing to do so on its behalf.
Flying Wild Hog’s decision to join the Polish Gamedev Workers Union comes at a rather timely juncture in relation to parent company Plaion’s owner Embracer Group.
Earlier today, Embracer announced that it has laid off roughly 8% of its employees as part of the ongoing industry layoff wave, and that it isn’t done laying off employees yet, despite the fact that it has enjoyed a record quarter in terms of financial success.
Whether or not Flying Wild Hog’s unionization will give it extra leverage in the case of any potential layoff discussions remains to be seen, but the move to unionize certainly seems like a wise one in the general context of the current state of the industry.
Flying Wild Hog is far from the only studio to unionize within the last year or two. Other studios include Just Cause developer Avalanche, Activision Blizzard, and Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax.
We’ll have to wait and see what Flying Wild Hog’s unionization means for the studio in the long run. Stay tuned for more on this and all other things industry-related.
