adminThe Heart Machine union has been voluntarily recognised by the independent studio behind Hyper Light Drifter. The bargaining unit includes 13 staff members, who say they hope to negotiate a first contract to protect their workplace.
Image credit: Heart Machine
Heart Machine union includes 13 staff members
According to the Communications Workers of America (CWA), employees at Heart Machine formed a wall-to-wall union. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that the bargaining unit consists of 13 staff members. A wall-to-wall union generally refers to an organising effort that seeks to represent workers across a workplace, though the specific members covered are defined by the unit.
Staff informed management in February that they intended to organise and requested voluntary recognition. Heart Machine has since agreed to recognise the union without requiring a formal recognition vote. Recognition establishes the union as the employees’ representative for negotiations; it does not mean a first contract is already in place.
Organising follows several rounds of layoffs
Gameplay tools engineer and CWA Local 9003 member Steph Aligbe said the decision to organise was influenced by other workers in the games industry advocating for better protections. Aligbe said that seeing those efforts grow helped make clear that workers need to protect the work and craft they care about.
Aligbe also welcomed the studio’s decision to recognise the union and said members were looking forward to negotiating a first agreement. The union’s stated aim is to establish workplace safeguards through that contract.
In a separate statement, Aligbe noted that game development is taking place in a crowded media environment, with projects competing for audiences’ attention. Aligbe argued that teams need time, care and creative collaboration to make distinctive work. For readers following the negotiations, the next important milestone will be the start and progress of contract discussions.
Heart Machine has undergone three rounds of layoffs in recent years. In 2024, the studio cut an undisclosed portion of its staff. A second round of redundancies followed 13 months later, and another round took place within weeks. The latest cuts came 12 days before the release of Possessor(s), published by Devolver Digital.
What happens after voluntary recognition?
With recognition in place, the union and the studio can move toward negotiating a first contract. The agreement has not yet been described as complete, so details such as its terms and timing remain unknown. Staff and readers can look for future updates on negotiations rather than assume that recognition itself settles workplace policies.
The organising effort at Heart Machine follows a wider wave of union activity in the games industry. The CWA has helped nearly 4,000 workers unionise across Microsoft’s studios, including Id Software, Bethesda and Blizzard. The Heart Machine union adds another bargaining unit to that broader movement, while its first contract remains the next key step.
