French game union STJV calls industry-wide strike for June 25 over layoffs and studio closures

The French video game union STJV has called for a national strike on June 25, urging every worker across the entire video game sector to walk out in protest against mounting layoffs and what the union describes as repeated abuse by studio leadership. The announcement came on June 22, one month after a previous national strike on May 27 that failed to improve conditions.

STJV is asking workers in games, game engines, marketing, streaming, merchandise, esports, online content creation, and teaching to simply not show up on June 25. The union is also organizing a picket line outside Quantic Dream's Paris headquarters on the same day. The Detroit: Become Human developer is facing significant cuts — the number of workers at risk has risen from roughly 95 to 115 since STJV's May statement, following the removal of Spellcasters Chronicles from Steam less than three months after launch.

STJV's statement pulls no punches: "The exceptional disastrous situation in the video games industry calls for an exceptional response," and the union accuses studio bosses of continuing "to lounge in their mansions with indoor pools, even if their studios are shut down." The union also noted that "this crisis was avoidable, but our bosses chose to drive blindly towards disaster." STJV has promised further action details in the coming weeks, signing off with a pointed "Summer has only just begun, and it's going to be hot."

The strike is the union's second major action in as many months, signaling that STJV is escalating pressure rather than waiting for industry conditions to self-correct. Further actions are expected throughout the summer.