In early 2024, Microsoft, the new owner of Activision Blizzard, sent an email to employees at its Stockholm office announcing the end of a popular company benefit, inadvertently sparking a unionization effort.
Last fall, over 100 employees at King's Stockholm location, a mobile game developer owned by Activision Blizzard, formed a union club with Unionen, Sweden's largest trade union. This group has been recognized and is now in dialogue with company management to secure a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that will influence their work environment, policies, and benefits.
In Sweden, unions operate differently than in the U.S. Workers can join a trade union at any time, regardless of their company's union status. Approximately 70% of Swedes are union members, and unions negotiate sector-wide conditions like salaries and sick leave. Additionally, forming a union club and securing a CBA allows employees to negotiate company-specific benefits and gain representation in top-level company decisions. This trend is also seen at other Swedish gaming companies like Paradox Interactive and Avalanche Studios.
Kajsa Sima Falck, an engineering manager at King in Stockholm and a board member of King Stockholm's Unionen chapter, shared that union discussions were minimal before 2024. A Slack channel for union members existed but was largely inactive, with only about nine or ten members.
However, in early January, employees received devastating news via email from management. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stockholm office had access to a free, private doctor for employees and their families, a benefit rumored to have been selected by then-CEO Bobby Kotick. This doctor was highly valued for her responsiveness, support during the pandemic, and empathy towards employees' health needs. The sudden announcement of the benefit's termination, just a week after Microsoft's acquisition, left employees scrambling to find new healthcare options.
King's office in Stockholm, Sweden.Employees were offered private health insurance as a replacement, but Falck noted it was inferior to the personal care they had previously enjoyed. The abrupt change led to widespread discussion among employees, with many expressing frustration in the company's general Slack channel.
Falck highlighted the lack of bargaining power without a CBA, which could have allowed negotiations with the employer. This led to a resurgence of interest in the union Slack channel, which grew to 217 members. By October 2024, the group voted to form a union club and board at King Stockholm. IGN reached out to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King for comment but did not receive a response.
Since its formation, the King union has engaged with Activision Blizzard HR to establish communication protocols. Falck described the company's response as "neutral," aligning with Sweden's legal protections for unions and Microsoft's public commitment to a neutral stance on unions.
While the private doctor benefit cannot be reinstated, Falck and her colleagues aim to secure a CBA to protect other unique benefits from similar abrupt changes. They also seek to address issues like salary transparency, information sharing, and protections during company reorganizations and layoffs. The ultimate goal is to influence their workplace positively.
Timo Rybak, a Unionen Stockholm organizer, emphasized that unionizing in Sweden is about both parties having influence and discussing matters at the table. He noted that unions help employers understand the daily work of employees, which is crucial for effective management. Additionally, unionizing educates employees, especially in industries with many immigrant workers, about their rights.
Falck mentioned that the union has already benefited from sharing information on employee rights, helping many European and American game developers at King understand their entitlements. The unionization effort, initially a reaction to an unpopular change, aims to protect the aspects of their job and company culture that they value deeply.
