A group of 144 workers are forming a union at SEGA’s US headquarters in Irvine, California. SEGA is following in the footsteps of workers at other game companies like Microsoft-owned ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard, which unionized last year.
The gaming giant behind franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog and Total War, SEGA did not voluntarily acknowledge the union or respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. If a union is not recognized by SEGA, eligible workers can hold elections through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB); Workers expect this vote to pass, as there are only about 170 eligible workers, and an overwhelming majority have already joined the union.
The SEGA Confederation is distinguished from its peers in the burgeoning labor movement in the gaming industry, as it spans across divisions. Members of the union, organized through Communications Workers of America (CWA), work in marketing, product design, localization, quality assurance, and more.
Em Geiger, an interim localization editor who has worked at SEGA since 2018, believes the union was able to unite multiple departments because workers had the opportunity to connect with peers across disciplines.
“There are opportunities for different departments to mix and get to know each other,” Geiger told TechCrunch, citing examples such as “shout-out” meetings, where employees are encouraged to publicly acknowledge the accomplishments of their co-workers. “This has shifted from simply wanting to improve the workplace we are in to wanting to ensure our co-workers and friends across departments receive better treatment than they are currently receiving.”
These union efforts have been in the works for a long time, Geiger says, and were not a direct response to union efforts at other game companies. However, successful syndication efforts at other studios bear this out.
“It certainly inspired confidence, seeing so many other game companies finally assert their rights to regulate, and publicize their efforts,” they said. “We’re very fortunate to be riding this wave of people who are starting to show more support for the idea of unions in general.”
The union, known as AEGIS (Employees Union Allied to Improve SEGA), advocates for higher base wages, better benefits such as health care, retirement and remote work options, clearer opportunities for advancement, and more staff to combat burnout and burnout. The concept of “crunch” — or working long hours to meet a deadline to release a game — is endemic to the gaming industry, spurring this sudden movement of studio unionization.
Microsoft, which includes many gaming divisions, has a legally binding labor neutrality agreement, which means it won’t stand in the way of union regulation. This is not the norm in the technological field. Activision Blizzard, which is expected to become part of Microsoft if its merger is not blocked by the government, was found by the NLRB to have illegally retaliated against union workers.
When it comes to SEGA, Winry Ramsey, who has been in the job since August, isn’t quite sure how the company will respond.
“It’s too early to tell,” Ramsey told TechCrunch. “I’m mostly excited about how much public support we already have.”