King reaches collective agreement with Sveriges Ingenjörer and Unionen after more than a year

The deal came after more than a year of negotiations and means a planned strike at the company’s Stockholm and Malmö offices has been withdrawn.

Kotaku says management wrote in an email to union members that the agreement will take effect on 1 April 2027.

What happened

According to Kotaku, King has signed a collective agreement with Sveriges Ingenjörer and Unionen, the two Swedish unions that had been pressuring the Candy Crush maker for some time. The report is based on a press release from Sveriges Ingenjörer, which says the negotiations lasted more than a year. In the coverage, King is described as the studio behind Candy Crush Saga, with offices in Stockholm and Malmö, and as part of Activision Blizzard.

The deal follows a strike threat against King. The unions had announced joint action at the company’s offices in Stockholm and Malmö, but that strike notice is now being withdrawn because the collective agreement has been signed. Sweden Herald had previously reported that several unions were considering a strike against King over the lack of a collective agreement, and the Sveriges Ingenjörer press release confirmed the move came after more than a year of talks.

The reporting also says management wrote in an email to union members that the agreement will take effect on 1 April 2027. According to Kotaku, management said it wanted to reduce uncertainty and still plans to speak with the unions before April about adjustments for the company. The available sources do not say which parts of the agreement may still be changed, and the full text of the collective agreement has not been made public.

Sveriges Ingenjörer describes the agreement as one that gives employees more influence over their working situation, with rights around organisation and timely information about workplace changes. Kotaku adds that the agreement was reached after a period in which the unions continued to pressure the company. The available sources do not give a final number of employees covered by the agreement, nor do they specify which roles or teams at King are included.

Background

King is the studio behind Candy Crush Saga and has offices in Stockholm and Malmö. The negotiations centred on the lack of a collective agreement, while several Swedish unions were involved in pressuring the company. In the available context, Sveriges Ingenjörer and Unionen are the main parties credited with securing the agreement and withdrawing the strike notice.

The situation at King fits into a broader trend of union organising in Sweden’s games industry. IGN published a background piece on 15 January 2025 about union organising at the Candy Crush developer in Stockholm, describing how more than 100 developers there had formed a union club. That earlier report shows the labour issue at King had been building for some time before the current agreement was announced.

The available sources do not include the full contract text and also do not provide a final number of employees covered by the agreement. What is clear is that the deal ends a dispute that had been running for more than a year between King and the unions Sveriges Ingenjörer and Unionen. Kotaku also reports that management wants the agreement to fully take effect only on 1 April 2027, suggesting there may still be a transition period or further coordination ahead. However, the sources do not say what specific changes are still on the table.

It also remains unclear how broad the previously announced strike would have been. The available information mentions the Stockholm and Malmö offices, but does not specify how many employees would have taken part or which teams would have been affected. As a result, the core of the news remains the confirmed collective agreement, the withdrawn strike notice, and the still-unpublished details of the deal.

Sources

• Kotaku: "Candy Crush Developers Win Contract After Strike Threats"
• Sveriges Ingenjörer: press release on the planned strike at King
• Sweden Herald: report on the strike threat against King
• IGN: background on union organising at the Candy Crush developer