How the Removal of a Private Doctor Sparked a Union at the Developer of Candy Crush

In early 2024, Activision Blizzard, now under the ownership of Microsoft, sent an email to employees at its Stockholm office announcing the end of a popular company benefit. This move inadvertently triggered a union effort among the staff.

IGN has learned that last fall, over one hundred employees at the mobile game maker King's Stockholm location formed a union club with Unionen, Sweden's largest trade union. This group has been recognized and is now in talks with company management to secure a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that will influence their work environment, policies, and benefits moving forward.

Unions in Sweden operate differently compared to those in the U.S. Swedish workers can join a trade union relevant to their profession at any time, regardless of their company's union status. As a result, about 70% of the workforce in Sweden is part of a trade union, and the country's laws are generally more supportive of unions. These unions negotiate broadly with their sectors on issues like salaries and sick leave, and individual membership can provide additional benefits to employees.

However, there's an additional aspect to union membership in Sweden: forming a union club and securing a CBA. When a sufficient number of employees at a company join the same union, they can vote to establish a union board to negotiate a CBA. This agreement can secure additional workplace-specific benefits, akin to U.S. union contracts, and the local union board can gain representation at the highest levels of company management, influencing major decisions. This is the path taken by King Stockholm, following a trend seen in other Swedish gaming companies like Paradox Interactive and, more recently, Avalanche Studios.

The Doctor Is Out

I spoke with Kajsa Sima Falck, an engineering manager at King in Stockholm and a board member of King Stockholm’s Unionen chapter. Falck shared that before 2024, union activity at the company was minimal, with only a small Slack channel for union discussions that saw little use, hosting just nine or ten members.

However, in early January, employees received devastating news via email from management. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stockholm office had access to a unique benefit: a free, private doctor for employees and their families. This doctor, reportedly selected by then-CEO Bobby Kotick, became immensely popular among staff due to her responsiveness, support during the pandemic, and empathy toward requests for sick leave or mental health notes. Many employees relied on her for all their healthcare needs.

The announcement that this benefit was being terminated shortly after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard came as a shock. Employees were given only a week's notice, forcing them to hastily find new healthcare solutions.

King's office in Stockholm, Sweden.Employees were offered private health insurance as a replacement, but Falck noted that this was not as beneficial. "You have to go through a portal and talk to a nurse every time you want an appointment," she explained. "It's not the personal experience of having a doctor who cares for you and supports you when you're feeling burnt out. She was a godsend."

Normally, King Stockholm employees were quiet about company issues, but this change sparked widespread discussion in the general Slack channel. "We had no bargaining power," Falck said. "With a CBA, we could have negotiated with our employer."

With no other options, Falck revived the union Slack channel, which quickly grew to 217 members. Over the next few months, the group planned and reached out to Unionen representatives. In October 2024, they officially voted to form a union club with a union board at King Stockholm. [IGN reached out to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King for comment but did not receive a response.]

No Gods, Only King

Since its formation, the King union has met with Activision Blizzard HR to discuss future communication, receiving a "neutral" response. This aligns with the legal protections for unions in Sweden and Microsoft's public commitment to a "neutral approach" toward unions, which seems to be upheld globally.

Falck and her colleagues understand that the private doctor benefit is gone for good, but they aim to secure a CBA to protect other valued benefits from similar abrupt changes. "It's about protecting the benefits we have with agreements to ensure we can influence and negotiate any changes," she said. "We have some unique benefits, not just in the game industry but across companies in Sweden, like bonuses and Microsoft benefits. We want to protect these so that if changes come, we can at least fight to keep them or make them more secure for the future."

Other key issues Falck mentioned include salary and information transparency, as well as protection and transparency around company reorganizations and layoffs. Most importantly, she and her colleagues seek to influence their workplace for everyone's benefit. As Unionen Stockholm organizer Timo Rybak explained, "The whole idea of unionizing in Sweden is about both parties having influence and discussing matters at the table. It's about employees helping their employer understand the everyday work, which is impossible for any company president or HR representative to fully grasp without being a game developer themselves. Giving everyone a say and a seat at the table is positive."

Rybak also noted that Swedish labor law still favors employers, but unionizing helps employees learn and protect their rights, especially in industries like game development and IT, which have many immigrant workers.

Falck highlighted that the union has already benefited from sharing information on employee rights, helping many European and American game developers at King understand their entitlements. This organizing effort has enabled them to educate each other and advocate more effectively, both individually and as a group.

For Falck and her colleagues, forming a union club at King began as a reaction to an unpopular change, but its ultimate goal is to protect the aspects of their job and company culture that they cherish. "It's a completely different world and company we're getting used to. So we want to protect what is King, what is the culture, what are the benefits."