Unionization in the Polish Video Game Industry: Between Entrepreneurial Subjectivity and Platformization

This paper presents preliminary findings from an ongoing research project on unionization in the Polish video game industry, drawing on 20+ interviews with trade union members, workers, and managers. Although unionization in the global video game industry has recently garnered increased academic attention (Kelmore & Woodcock, 2023), the Polish video game industry— a major global player — remains understudied in this context.

The industry is characterized by extensive platformization, with platforms like Steam constraining companies’ control over pricing structures, distribution methods, and client access (Thorhauge, 2024; Werning, 2019). Additionally, the sector faces financialization pressures (Legault & Weststar, 2021), relies heavily on long subcontracting chains (Dyer-Witheford & de Peuter, 2009), and frequently utilizes non-standard forms of employment, such as self-employment, a practice especially prevalent in Poland (Ozimek, 2019).

Game studio management often cites limited agency due to intense competitive pressures when negotiating with workers, leading to a highly individualized, project-based labor structure that depends on workers' "entrepreneurial subjectivity." This paper argues that the current wave of unionization in Polish video game companies focuses on reshaping workers' identities from a purely entrepreneurial subjectivity to a "hybrid" one (Murgia & Pulignano, 2021). This shift is occurring in the context of two significant pressures: the professionalization of the sector, driven by the ongoing video game industry crisis following the collapse of the pandemic bubble, and the increasing feminization of the workforce. Rather than challenging the entrepreneurial mindset outright, unions are leveraging it as a tool for “building momentum for collectivity” (Weststar & Legault, 2019), by highlighting workers' dependence on large studios. At the same time, unions are developing strategies to counter the impacts of platformization and financialization on the industry by advocating for alternative revenue models, particularly through the assertion of IP rights.