In a bold move that underscores the evolving landscape of digital media, a passionate cohort of IGN’s workforce is making strides toward unionization. The formation of the IGN Creators Guild, backed by an impressive 87% of its eligible workforce, marks a pivotal moment in the pursuit of collective bargaining rights. This initiative, under the auspices of the NewsGuild-CWA, seeks the same voluntary recognition from parent company Ziff-Davis that was previously granted to the staff at Mashable and PCMag in 2018.

At the heart of this movement is the desire for a more supportive environment for the creative talents at IGN. Senior reporter Rebekah Valentine has been vocal about the necessity for fair compensation and ample time off to ensure that IGN continues to thrive as a premier workplace, even as the industry grapples with the uncertainties of mass layoffs and the disruptive emergence of generative AI.

The decision to establish an independent union for IGN, rather than joining the existing Ziff Davis Creators Guild (ZDCG), was driven by the unique needs of IGN’s California-based team. Despite the geographical divide, the ZDCG has expressed full support for the IGN Creators Guild’s efforts.

The guild is confronting head-on the challenges of enhancing diversity within the company and addressing the diminishing financial viability of online media for its staff. This is especially critical in light of recent layoffs across the gaming journalism industry and the steep cost of living in major cities.

The union’s goals are ambitious and clear-cut: to negotiate for better wages, to implement layoff protections, and to take definitive steps toward increasing staff diversity, among other priorities.