Over 100 developers working at Swedish developer Avalanche Studios Group have joined the local trade union Unionen. They represent about one-fifth of the group's roughly 500 employees.
According to a report by IGN, the developers are currently bargaining with Avalanche management alongside members of another union, Sveriges Ingenjörer.
At the moment, there is no official word on which issues are involved in the bargaining, but according to IGN, one of the items may be a four-day workweek.
While negotiations are in the early stages, they appear to be yielding positive progress.
The report includes a comment from an Avalanche spokesperson, which appears to welcome the negotiation without confirming specific issues or topics.
As an employer, we’re committed to creating the best possible conditions for all Avalanchers to thrive. We support and welcome any initiative that goes in this direction.
This also means that we listen, invite dialogue, and encourage people to bring forward their perspectives and needs. After all, it’s thanks to each and every Avalancher that we’re able to make the great games we’re known for.
This comes hot on the heels of many news about layoffs that surfaced over the past few weeks, including those affecting large studios and companies like Embracer, Epic Games, and Xbox, and smaller ones like Telltale Games.
Among other things, Avalanche is currently working on Contraband for Xbox Game Studios. The game was revealed in June 2021 and has since gone under the radar. I suppose that's what smugglers tend to do.
