TITLE: ZA/UM UK Developers Form First Recognized Games Industry Union
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ZA/UM Establishes Workers Alliance Union at UK Branch
The developers behind Disco Elysium and the upcoming espionage RPG Zero Parades: For Dead Spies have formed the Workers Alliance union at ZA/UM’s UK branch. Represented by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), this marks a significant milestone for the games industry.
First Recognized Games Industry Union in the UK
According to the IWGB, the Workers Alliance at ZA/UM UK represents the UK’s first recognized games industry union. The announcement was made through official channels, including a detailed blog post and developer interviews that provide comprehensive context about this development.
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Developer Perspectives on Union Formation
ZA/UM UK marketing manager Poppy Ingham explained the collective motivation behind the union: “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.”
UI/UX designer Declan Keane added: “The more I’ve worked here, the more I’ve realized that what we have is a unique makeup of people, and the union is a large effort to solidify that. Instead of thinking about what the next year will look like, we’ll be working together, taking what we’ve learned already and doubling down on that. I want to play the games that this team makes.”
Background: Post-Disco Elysium Controversies
The union formation comes after several years of turbulence at ZA/UM following the critical success of Disco Elysium in 2019. The studio faced:
- Public departures of core creative team members
- Legal disputes between former developers and current leadership
- Project cancellations including a Disco Elysium sequel and expansion
- Layoffs resulting from cancelled projects
- Multiple documentaries investigating the studio’s internal conflicts
A New Direction for ZA/UM
The remaining developers at ZA/UM, many of whom contributed to the original Disco Elysium though not among the key writers, see the union as a positive step toward ensuring the studio remains a good workplace. While former developers have shared mixed experiences about studio conditions, current staff view the Workers Alliance as a mechanism to protect what makes ZA/UM special while addressing industry-wide concerns about working conditions in game development.
This development represents a growing trend of labor organization within the games industry and sets a precedent for other UK-based game studios considering similar collective action to protect worker rights and preserve creative environments.