Three months ago, Paradox Interactive signed a collective agreement, to better establish workplace rights with the unions in their company. In an industry where we hear so many horror stories about underpaid and poorly treated employees, unionisation can be an important tool in giving workers a bigger voice, and providing support when it comes to negotiating their rights.
This moment has only come after months of negotiations, however, and for some employees, comes too late. I’ve spoken to several current and former employees at the Swedish studio, and they all paint a picture of a rapidly growing company clinging to an outdated image of itself, at which quality assurance workers in particular are exploited and underpaid.