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Heart Machine Recognizes Wall-to-Wall Union of 13 Workers

Employees now move to set bargaining priorities for a first contract focused on stability, work-life balance, creative autonomy.

Overview

  • Studio leadership granted voluntary recognition after a February request backed by a supermajority of eligible staff.
  • The unit covers all frontline, non-managerial employees and includes animators, designers, gameplay engineers, environmental artists and a gameplay tools engineer.
  • Workers say they plan to prioritize protections for work-life balance, creative autonomy, stability and job security in negotiations.
  • The organizing follows layoffs in 2024 and 2025 and the decision to end development on the early-access project Hyper Light Breaker.
  • Affiliation with CWA Local 9003 adds to the union’s growing presence in gaming, alongside organized groups at Microsoft subsidiaries and the United Videogame Workers effort.