ZA/UM’s UK Branch Forms Workers Alliance Union in Landmark Move

ZA/UM, the independent studio that stunned the industry with the 2019 cult hit Disco Elysium, is once again making headlines – this time not for a new release or controversy, but for its workers taking a decisive step toward long-term change. Developers at the studio’s UK branch have officially formed a union under the banner of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), calling themselves the Workers Alliance. The move, publicly confirmed through an IWGB blog post and in interviews with GamesIndustry.biz, marks the UK’s first officially recognized union in the video game sector – a significant milestone for an industry often criticized for instability and unchecked executive power.

The new union arrives at a delicate moment in ZA/UM’s history. After the turbulent aftermath of Disco Elysium, where disputes between the creative core and studio executives exploded into the public eye, ZA/UM has been rebuilding under immense scrutiny.

Key figures like Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov accused management of ousting them, while executives countered with claims of toxic leadership. Legal battles, accusations of fraud, and damning video essays from outlets such as People Make Games kept ZA/UM in headlines for all the wrong reasons. The studio saw three projects canceled, including a highly anticipated Disco sequel and an expansion, alongside layoffs that rattled staff confidence. Out of this turmoil, new studios were born as former leads struck out independently, leaving the current team to shoulder the studio’s legacy while trying to move forward with fresh projects like the espionage-themed Zero Parades: For Dead Spies.

For the developers who stayed, unionization has become a way to reclaim a sense of agency. Poppy Ingham, marketing manager at ZA/UM UK, framed the decision as an effort to protect what makes the studio distinctive. “We all agree there’s something unique here worth preserving,” she explained, pointing to a rare culture of collaboration that workers want to safeguard. UI/UX designer Declan Keane echoed the sentiment, noting that the union is about investing in collective strength rather than surviving year-to-year uncertainty. “We want to build on what we’ve learned together, not just look at the next quarter. The union ensures we can double down on our values and keep making the kinds of games this team believes in.”

The significance goes beyond ZA/UM. In an industry dominated by publishers and investors, game developers often lack security, despite being the creative backbone of multimillion-dollar successes. Crunch culture, sudden layoffs, and fragile contracts are familiar realities. By organizing under the IWGB, ZA/UM’s UK branch is signaling a shift that could inspire similar actions at other studios, especially smaller outfits where power imbalances are starkest. The IWGB itself framed the union as a historic achievement, describing it as the first step toward reshaping conditions for UK developers as a whole.

The decision also functions as a statement of resilience. Despite the controversies of the past and the absence of the original Disco visionaries, the current ZA/UM team seems intent on shaping a healthier environment. Workers insist that the studio’s survival depends not just on producing another critically acclaimed title, but on ensuring that those producing it feel respected and protected. “The hope for ZA/UM’s future,” said Ingham, “is to keep making bold games – but from a secure, comfortable position. Having a union means we can challenge management constructively and preserve the talent that exists here.”

Whether Zero Parades will capture the magic of Disco Elysium remains to be seen, but the union represents something arguably more enduring: an attempt to rewrite the rules of how game developers coexist with management. For an industry long plagued by stories of exploitation, the Workers Alliance at ZA/UM could become a model – or at least a precedent – for how creative workers defend their place in the very studios they help build. At a time when many fans still question the studio’s integrity, ZA/UM’s workers are sending a clear message: their collective future matters as much as the games they make.