We begin 2026 with not one but two major stories about unionisation in the headlines; an omen, I suspect, of how much of the rest of the year is likely to turn out. Games industry unionisation has gathered steam in recent years after literally decades of being something of a punchline, but progress towards meaningful labour organisation remains slow. This year is likely to be a pivotal one in which those gains are tested against the stubbornly deep-rooted ideological resistance to the concept from many of the industry’s leaders.
