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Candy Crush maker King signs collective agreement with Swedish unions

Candy Crush maker King signs collective agreement with Swedish unions

Rule Changes

Microsoft-owned studio joins TechSverige IT agreement after averted strike

5 days ago: Agreement signed, strike withdrawn

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

King, the studio behind Candy Crush Saga, signed a collective bargaining agreement with Swedish unions on September 24, 2026. The deal came days before a planned strike over negotiations that had dragged on since May 2025.

The agreement takes effect April 1, 2027, when King joins the TechSverige IT agreement. It covers about 100 union members among the company's roughly 500 employees in Malmo and Stockholm.

The deal brings a Microsoft subsidiary into Sweden's mainstream labor framework, where nearly nine in ten workers are covered by collective contracts. Union leaders called it a step for the gaming industry.

Why it matters

The deal brings a major Microsoft-owned studio into Sweden's collective bargaining model, where nearly nine in ten workers are covered by contracts.

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Key Indicators

100 of 500
Union-covered employees at King's Swedish offices
Engineers of Sweden represents about 100 of the roughly 500 employees across King's Malmo and Stockholm studios.
90%
Swedish workers covered by collective agreements
Nearly nine in ten Swedish employees have collective bargaining coverage, making King's new deal the norm rather than the exception.
17 months
Length of negotiations
Talks ran from May 2025 to September 2026, nearly ending in a strike before the agreement was signed.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

May 2025 April 2027

5 events Latest: 5 days ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. TechSverige IT agreement takes effect

    Upcoming Milestone

    King's Swedish employees come under the TechSverige IT agreement.

  2. Agreement signed, strike withdrawn

    Latest Resolution

    King signs a collective bargaining agreement; unions call off the planned strike.

  3. Strike notice filed

    Labor action

    Engineers of Sweden and Unionen announce a strike set for September 25.

  4. King declines collective agreement

    Statement

    Management says its existing benefits package makes a collective agreement unnecessary.

  5. Negotiations begin

    Negotiation

    King and Swedish unions begin negotiating a collective agreement.

Scenarios

1

King implements TechSverige IT agreement without disruption

Likely Resolves by May 1, 2027

Discussed by: Engineers of Sweden, Unionen

Both unions and King's leadership say they will cooperate through the transition to the April 1, 2027 effective date. If no labor conflict arises in the interim and the TechSverige IT terms are formally applied to King's staff, this scenario resolves positively.

2

Implementation friction leads to renewed labor dispute at King

Unlikely Resolves by Apr 30, 2027

Discussed by: Counter-scenario to union expectations

The transition to the TechSverige framework involves restructuring of benefits and workplace rules. If management and unions clash over specific terms, or if layoffs trigger disputes under the new agreement, labor actions could resume.

3

Other Swedish game studios follow King's example

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Engineers of Sweden (Camilla Frankelius)

Union leaders framed the King deal as a milestone for the gaming industry, where few studios have collective agreements. If organizing drives at other Swedish game companies succeed, the King deal becomes a template for sector-wide bargaining.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

December 1938

Saltsjöbaden Agreement (1938)

Swedish employers and national unions agreed on a framework for central wage bargaining and workplace rules, establishing a pattern of cooperative industrial relations. The pact became known as the Saltsjöbaden Agreement, named after the seaside town where it was signed.

Then

Labor conflicts declined sharply as both sides committed to negotiation over confrontation.

Now

It institutionalized the Swedish model, under which nearly nine in ten workers still have collective agreement coverage today.

Why this matters now

Union leaders explicitly invoked the Swedish model in celebrating the King agreement, which extends this bargaining tradition to a major video game studio.

September 2026

Blizzard workers' first union contract (2026)

Workers at Blizzard Entertainment, another major game studio, secured their first union contract in the same month King reached its deal with Swedish unions. The two events mark a broader push for formal labor agreements across the video game industry.

Then

Blizzard gained a formal union contract covering its workers.

Now

The contract adds to a wave of union agreements across the video game sector.

Why this matters now

Both studios reached union deals in September 2026, suggesting game companies face growing pressure to formalize labor relations.

Sources

(10)