Halifax video game workers form first Ubisoft union in North America

About 60 Halifax workers for global video game giant Ubisoft have formed the company's first union in North America.

T.J. Gillis, a senior server developer at Ubisoft Halifax, says he became increasingly concerned about the growth of artificial intelligence in the industry and after the closure of a Microsoft gaming studio in Halifax, Alpha Dog, in 2024.

“We're seeing a ton of studios, especially larger studios, just letting people go with no unions or support, people were just being left to fend for themselves. Often times having to leave industry,” said Gillis.

Gillis said he got into contact with CWA Canada to begin efforts to build a union with other colleagues. CWA Canada also represents about 120 Montreal workers at Bethesda Game Studios, which is owned by Microsoft and produces popular video games like Fallout.

“I think this is a right direction for us to be moving to, especially with AI coming in where we want to maintain the artistic value of game development,” Gillis said. 

The union was formed six months after filing union certification and after 74 per cent of staff at Ubisoft Halifax voted to join CWA Canada.

This marks the first and only union within Ubisoft across North America. The company, which employs more than 17,000 people globally, has unionized workforces in other parts of the world.

A spokesperson for Ubisoft said in a statement to CBC News that they “acknowledge the decision issued by the Nova Scotia Labour Board and reaffirm our commitment to maintaining full cooperation with the Board and union representatives.” 

Carmel Smyth is the president of CWA Canada and says she is already hearing from other employees at tech companies who want to follow Ubisoft Halifax’s lead. (CWA Canada also indirectly represents CBC employees, and Smyth is on leave from her role as a CBC producer.)  

“We know that it is prompting more interest and why wouldn't it? It's thousands of Canadians work in that industry. It's a business that is driven by personal input, blood, sweat and tears of the workers,” said Smyth. 

Smyth says the gaming industry is still new in some regard and unions have yet to become widespread among the industry in North America.

“Because there's no union to protect workers, the company just decides that they were firing and they fired them. That could happen anywhere. Is it more likely in the tech industry? Well, if it's not unionized, it's more likely,” said Smyth. 

Gillis says the goal of forming the Ubisoft Halifax union is to maintain their current workplace and have a say in how it grows. And it’s a goal he hopes much more of the industry will be able to achieve. 

“We're quite excited that we can hopefully influence some of our North American co-workers as well.”