The first North American video game studio to unionize, Vodeo Games, announced today it was unable to secure funding for future projects. The studio will disband, according to a statement on the company’s Twitter account.
(Bloomberg) — The first North American video game studio to unionize, Vodeo Games, announced today it was unable to secure funding for future projects. The studio will disband, according to a statement on the company’s Twitter account.
“We’ve run out of funds and aren’t able to keep the team together — and there is simply no Vodeo without our incredible team,” the California-based company said. Its “final efforts” will go toward releasing their game Beast Breaker on Steam.
Vodeo’s website shows the studio has 14 workers, some of whom are independent contractors. Its first and only game, Beast Breaker, was released late last year and received positive reviews.
In December 2021, Vodeo announced it had unionized with the Communications Workers of America’s Campaign to Organize Digital Employees. Vodeo Workers United kicked off a trend, with employees at Activision Blizzard Inc.’s Raven Software and independent studio Tender Claws joining CWA this year.
In a statement on Twitter, Vodeo Workers United said it was “in the process of collective bargaining but had not yet reached an agreement when it became clear the studio was no longer financially viable. Therefore we decided to halt bargaining.”
Vodeo, Vodeo Workers United and CWA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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