"We wanted to show what was possible:" How union workers created a lifeline for laid off developers

The video game industry is broken. The past several years have been devastating for its workers. Thousands laid off. Numerous studios closed. Funding in tatters. It's hard to list all of the video game companies that have either been caught in the crossfire or actively targeted. The easier question to answer would be, who hasn't? 

No one organization can fix the industry's problems. But one group is trying to keep the industry's creative heart beating. In July, direct-join union United Videogame Workers-CWA (UVW-CWA) partnered with Demonschool developer Necrosoft Games and director Brandon Sheffield to raise and distribute crucial funds to game workers across the U.S. and Canada laid off after January 2024. They raised more than $250,000 with a bundle including games like Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, A Short Hike, and SkateBird. More than one hundred creators contributed to the effort.

Soon after, UVW-CWA opened up applications for the Game Workers Hardship Fund and began distributing the cash. Applications have since been closed, but UVW-CWA ended up with $275,000 to pass along to game developers in need.

UVW-CWA equity committee chair Elaine Gómez, an ArenaNet content designer who also founded independent studio Midnight Hour Games and serves as president of Latinx in Gaming, told Vertical Slice the extra $25,000 was pooled together from the union's dues. More than 600 people applied for the fund, and more than 150 people have now received financial aid.