Image Source: Vodeo Games
Vodeo, the studio behind the adorable mouse adventure game Beast Breaker, has made history by becoming what it says is the first unionized video game development studio in North America..Vodeo Workers United was voluntarily recognized by its management, and encompasses both full time and contract workers. In a twitter thread this morning, the union said that 100 percent of eligible workers had voted to organize.“All workers deserve a union and a say in how their workplace is run, no matter where they work, what their employment status is, or what kind of conditions they work under,” Myriame Lachapelle, a producer at Vodeo Games, said in a press release today. “We have been inspired by the growing worker organizing within the gaming industry and hope we can set a new precedent for industry-wide standards that will better our shared working conditions and inspire others to do the same.”Vodeo Workers United organized with the Communications Workers of America, who have also organized Paizo, a tabletop game studio, and workers at Image Comics. Organizing efforts in comics and games have been tried throughout the years, but none have turned into unions until now. The Communications Workers of America have helped workers at Activision Blizzard take the first step in unionizing their studio in the wake of multiple egregiousworkplace abuses.