First Ubisoft Union in North America Formed by Halifax Workers

Around 60 workers at Ubisoft Halifax have formally voted to unionize, creating the first Ubisoft union in North America, according to CTV News. After a months-long organizing effort inside the Halifax-based studio, 61 employees from the Nova Scotia-based studio are now members of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Canada Local 30111.

The move was publicly confirmed after 73.8% votes from employees were “in favor of unionizing,” and the Nova Scotia Labour Board certified their effort on Dec 18, 2025. Ubisoft Halifax first declared its intentions to form a unionized representation in June 2025. Following the decision, there were voting, months of bargaining, and company hearings, which ultimately resulted in the company dropping its challenges against the effort.

The organizing effort was driven by concerns common across the games industry, including job security, transparency around workplace decisions, and a desire for a formal voice in negotiations. Jon Huffman, a lead programmer at Ubisoft Halifax and one of the organizers, said the decision reflected a long-term vision rather than a reactionary move. 

Huffman described that even though the process took a long time, workers are “still dedicated to doing this with Ubisoft,” positioning the union as a way to build stability and fairness into an industry that’s often defined by uncertainty.

Ubisoft Halifax Unionization as an Industry Signal

Labor leaders have positioned the Ubisoft Halifax vote as a significant moment for game workers in Canada. Carmel Smyth, president of CWA Canada, said the decision has already resonated beyond Halifax, describing that employees at other studios are seeing unionization as a viable path to influence working conditions. 

She further emphasized “that it is prompting more interest” due to “thousands of Canadians” working in the gaming industry, “that is driven by personal input, blood, sweat, and tears of the workers.” CWA Canada represents workers across telecommunications, media, and digital sectors, including 120 Montreal workers from Microsoft’s Bethesda Game Studios.

Smyth’s views were echoed by T.J. Gillis, one of Ubisoft Halifax’s senior server developers. Gillis said unionization is becoming necessary as studios grapple with volatile production cycles and uneven labor protections. He highlighted how “ton of studios, especially larger studios, (are) just letting people go with no unions or support.”

He argued that the Halifax vote is the “right direction” for gaming studios to move to, as the advent of gen-AI techs has put “the artistic value of game development” at risk. Similar to Hoffman, he notes that the ultimate goal of this union is to maintain the workplace they are working at and have a part in the dialogue of how it grows.

Ubisoft Halifax primarily specializes in free-to-play games for mobile, including Rainbow Six Mobile and Assassin’s Creed Rebellion. It currently houses a team of 80 workers among Ubisoft’s 17,000 global workforce, and is an integral part of the company.