Motion Capture Team at 2K Successfully Votes to Unionize

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

The voting took place on Friday, November 22.According to IATSE, this represents the first successful unionization effort at a motion capture studio within the video game sector.

15 employees (71 percent) voted in favor of the initiative, while six opposed the motion.

The workers at the Petaluma studio submitted their request for a union election in October of the previous year. In response, 2K expressed that it valued the rights of employees seeking a vote but suggested that unionization may not be the best path forward.

“We understand that the demands of our workforce are varied, and that our industry faces new difficulties as we continue to progress and expand,” commented a company representative at the time. “We believe that we are best equipped to tackle these challenges and evolving needs together through our existing feedback mechanisms rather than through a union.”

IATSE Worldwide president Matthew D. Loeb stated that the establishment of the 2K MoCap Union is a landmark achievement that demonstrates “collective action is the most effective means to ensure fairness, equity, and respect in the workplace.”

“Their bravery will motivate others in the industry to take similar steps. This result also illustrates what can be accomplished when workers assert their right to organize, a right that we will persist in defending and advocating for,” Loeb added.

The union will now initiate talks with 2K management to secure a contract that “recognizes their contributions to the company’s success.”

“Positive change” and security in the era of AI

Ryan Kwok, a motion capture equipment engineer at the studio, expressed that the union aims for “positive transformation” in light of widespread layoffs and the rise of generative AI.

“I felt motivated to witness so many of us come together to equip ourselves with the means to foster positive change at our studio. The current state of the industry is dire. Why should workers bear the consequences when companies overreach and fail? Furthermore, AI has the potential to significantly alter how games are developed if safeguards for human creatives are not secured promptly,” Kwok stated.

“I’m hopeful that Take-Two will recognize that we are committed to improving this studio, just as they are. We aim to negotiate in good faith to enhance this studio’s processes to be more open, democratic, and fair for all of us.”

A significant number of employees at major companies such as Microsoft, Embracer, and Sega have unionized in recent years with the goal of achieving better working conditions in a volatile industry.

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