In early 2024, a significant company benefit was rescinded at Activision Blizzard's Stockholm office, inadvertently igniting a unionization drive. This action, communicated via email to employees, prompted over one hundred King employees in Stockholm to establish a union club with Unionen, Sweden's largest trade union. Their aim is to secure a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to safeguard their working conditions, policies, and benefits.

Swedish unionization differs from the U.S. model. Swedish workers can join unions regardless of company organization, resulting in approximately 70% union membership nationwide. Unions negotiate sector-wide conditions, while individual membership offers additional benefits. However, forming a union club and securing a CBA provides workplace-specific advantages, including representation in upper management. This mirrors a growing trend in the Swedish gaming industry, with companies like Paradox Interactive and Avalanche Studios already having unionized workplaces.

The catalyst for King Stockholm's unionization was the removal of a popular employee benefit: a dedicated, on-site doctor for employees and their families. This benefit, highly valued for its personalized care and support, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, was eliminated with only a week's notice. While employees were offered private health insurance as a replacement, it lacked the personal touch of the previous arrangement.

This abrupt change spurred unprecedented employee discussion, highlighting the lack of bargaining power without a CBA. Consequently, the dormant union Slack channel was reactivated, rapidly gaining members, ultimately leading to the formation of a union club in October 2024. While Microsoft, Activision Blizzard King's parent company, has publicly committed to a neutral stance on unionization, a response to IGN's request for comment was not received.

The newly formed union aims to negotiate a CBA to protect existing benefits and address other critical issues such as salary transparency, protection against company reorganizations and layoffs, and improved communication. A key aspect is empowering employees to influence their workplace positively. Unionen organizer Timo Rybak emphasizes the value of employee input in improving workplace conditions and highlighting employee rights, particularly beneficial for the diverse workforce common in the gaming and IT sectors.

Kajsa Sima Falck, a King engineering manager and union board member, highlights the union's role in educating employees about their rights, especially those new to the company or unfamiliar with Swedish labor laws. While the initial impetus was a negative change, the union's ultimate goal is to preserve the positive aspects of King's work culture and benefits.