Motion capture workers at 2K have successfully voted to unionize

Staff at 2K's Motion Capture Studio in Petaluma, California, have voted to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

The vote took place on Friday, November 22. According to IATSE, it marks the first successful unionization attempt at a motion capture studio in the video game industry.

15 workers (71 percent) voted in favor of the move, while six voted against the decision.

Employees at the Petaluma studio filed for the union election in October last year. In response, 2K said it respected the rights of workers seeking a vote but suggested unionization wasn't the best way forward.

"We know the needs of our workforce are diverse, and that our industry faces new challenges as we continue to evolve and grow," said a company spokesperson at the time. "We feel that we are best served addressing these challenges and changing needs together through our existing feedback channels rather than through a union."

IATSE International president Matthew D. Loeb claimed the formation of the 2K MoCap Union is a historic milestone that proves "collective action is the best way to secure fairness, equity, and respect in the workplace."

"Their courage will inspire others in the industry to follow suit. This outcome also demonstrates what can be achieved when workers exercise their right to organize, a right that we will continue to fight to defend and expand," added Loeb.

The union will now begin negotiations with 2K management to secure a contract  that "reflects their contributions to the company's success."

"Positive change" and protection in the age of AI

Ryan Kwok, a motion capture tools engineer at the studio, said the union will be seeking "positive change" in the face of widespread layoffs and the rise of generative AI.

"I felt inspired to see so many of us rally together to equip ourselves with the means to create positive change at our studio. The state of the industry is severe. Why must workers take the fall when corporations overextend and collapse? On top of that, AI stands to dramatically change the way games will be created if protections for human creatives are not secured in the present," said Kwok.

"I’m optimistic that Take-Two will recognize that we are investing in this studio, just as they have. We hope to bargain in good faith to make this studio’s processes more transparent, democratic, and equitable for all of us."

A huge number of workers at major companies including Microsoft, Embracer, and Sega have unionized in recent years in the hopes of securing better working conditions in a volatile industry.