Recent events have led to the formation of a new union, named the Polish Gamedev Workers Union, following three rounds of layoffs at CD Projekt, the game developer studio known for creating popular games like The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077. The layoffs affected around nine percent of their total workforce, approximately 100 people, stirring feelings of error and insecurity amongst the remaining staff. Union founders and current CD Projekt personnel, Pawe? Myszka and Lev Ki, wish to represent all those involved in game development across Poland.

The union's formation was triggered by a series of layoffs that prompted concerns over job security and profound stress amongst employees. They argue that despite being the key contributors to the company's value, the employees seldom hold decision-making power regarding company-structured matters - this they hope to change. As they believe that the numerous layoffs pose a threat to the gaming industry, they see this union's inception as a means to counter such a trend.

The July layoffs were justified by the management under the pretense of an "alignment of the scale and size of the team with the requirements of ongoing projects and the CD Projekt Group strategy." It also forms part of a continual transformation whereby the CD Projekt Red studio has incorporated agile methodologies while restructuring development processes and optimizing working procedures. CD Projekt had estimates the layoffs cost to be PLN 4.5 million (around $1.1 million) consisting mainly of severance payments. However, CD Projekt's boss, Adam Kici?ski deemed the company "overstaffed".

Interestingly, the studio has had other layoffs. Earlier in 2023, CD Projekt announced around 30 employees would be laid off by the year-end due to the conclusion of the developmental work on Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. Before this came other waves of layoffs that affected other company projects.

Despite facing criticism, CD Projekt celebrated selling three million copies of the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion, Phantom Liberty, in a week and has several promising projects ongoing. These include a remake of the first Witcher game, a new IP (Project Hadar), a sequel to Cyberpunk (Project Orion), the first game of a new Witcher trilogy (Project Polaris), and a multiplayer Witcher game (Project Sirius).

This event coincides with the rise of new unions within the gaming industry. Reports indicate that developers at Just Cause creator Avalanche Studios are unionising while a supermajority of employees at Sega of America has formed a union under the Communications Workers of America. They've asked for voluntary recognition from company management.