The Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV), a labor union for the French gaming industry, has called for a nationwide general strike in protest against local industry restructuring and a wave of layoffs. The STJV posted a call to action on the 25th, urging workers to strike starting May 27. While some actions appear to have taken place, the results have yet to be reported.
The STJV’s statement begins by declaring, “The French video game industry is on the brink, facing its worst crisis in 20 years.” The union claims that over 1k jobs have been lost or are at risk since 2024, citing the liquidation or closure of studios like Starbreeze, Unity, and Leikir Studio, as well as ongoing layoffs at Ubisoft, Cyanide, and Quantic Dream.
The STJV argues that this situation is less a result of an ‘industry downturn’ and more a failure of ‘management responsibility.’ They contend that the industry’s current peril stems from reckless project management, unrealistic business decisions, and the dismissal of warnings from frontline workers—yet it is the workers, not the executives, who are paying the price.
As an example, the union pointed to Quantic Dream’s new project, ‘Spellcaster’s Chronicles.’ The mage-themed MOBA, which had been in development for about eight years, was surprise-announced to the world at TGS 2025, only to be canceled just last week.
The STJV’s demands for the French gaming industry are uncompromising. They are calling for the withdrawal of all planned layoffs, the redeployment of staff, a restructuring of job titles to protect worker rights, and the resignation of the executives and creative directors responsible for these failures—effectively setting the stage for a direct confrontation with management.
The STJV is estimated to have about 1k members within the French gaming industry. While this is not a massive number, the union carries significant weight, as the total number of gaming industry workers in France is estimated to be between 10k and 15k.
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