Ubisoft Halifax employees have successfully formed a union, a first of its kind in North America. With sixty-one employees supporting the cause, the union has been officially registered with the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, officially receiving certification by the Nova Scotia Labor Board on December 18th.The Nova-Scotia based video game studio had expressed interest in unionizing back in June, holding secret ballot votes to decide the future of the union. Talks were kept in hushed until the company dropped their challenges after a few hearings with union leaders, allowing them to hold an official vote to create the union in December.

“73.8 per cent were in favour of unionizing,” (Jon Huffman) said. “It’s a really strong turnout. Everyone who was eligible to vote, voted. It’s a clear response from the membership.”

It’s no surprise that the employees at Ubisoft Halifax wanted to unionize–the state of the game industry is a turbulent time. With generative AI, game studios suddenly closing, and major studio acquisitions, employees are feeling less and less secure about their job safety and their future in gaming, as told by one of the workers at Ubisoft Halifax in June: “Unionizing with my coworkers at Ubisoft Halifax is important to me so that we have the strength needed to protect what we have today and to fight for our tomorrow,” said senior server programmer Thomas Gillis in the release. å“With no end in sight to the industry-wide turbulence that sees studios shutter on releasing games fans love, it is up to us, the workers, to organize and demand a say in our labour, art and future.”

Many in the industry are applauding the team at Ubisoft Halifax as it’s now the first Ubisoft union in North America. As of now, the union will be in the works mapping out their goals and laying out the structure of their union.