Motion capture workers employed by the video game company behind NBA 2K and WWE 2K have ratified their first labor contract in a move that union IATSE is calling historic.
Workers at 2K’s motion capture studio in Petaluma, CA have unanimously ratified a deal with management at parent company Take-Two Interactive, IATSE announced on Tuesday. The crew union represents stage technicians, engineers, animators and recording and audio specialists at the studio.
The new deal establishes wage minimums as well as annual wage increases and bonuses. The contract additionally enshrines work-from-home and leave policies, staffing and subcontracting language and “an enforceable promotions framework,” IATSE stated. The contract also creates guardrails for the use of scanned likeness and artificial intelligence.
IATSE international president Matthew Loeb said in a statement that the deal “shows what workers can achieve when they stand together and bargain for the future of their craft.” Loeb added, “These workers made history when they organized, and they have made history again by ratifying the first union contract for motion capture video game workers in the United States.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Take-Two Interactive for comment.
It’s a timely achievement for IATSE, which is again staking a presence at this week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco as the union attempts to organize more of the video game industry. The Communications Workers of America has taken pole position in the space after establishing unions at Blizzard Entertainment, id Software and other companies.
The 2K motion capture workers established their union after a National Labor Relations Board vote in November of 2024. At the time, the union said the workers were seeking higher wages, better working conditions and greater job security as well as clarity on responsibilities associated with certain job titles.
The negotiations went smoothly, according to unit member and 2K technical animator Jose Gutierrez. “While collective bargaining is often characterized by friction, this experience was a nice departure from the norm. The company agreed to speed up the agreement process,” he said in a statement.
Stage technician Connor Bredbeck called the resulting deal a “victory” for the video game industry. “As layoffs continue to decimate the gaming industry, there is always more work to be done and 2K Mocap stands by any and all workers willing to put in the fight for their worth,” he said in a statement. “This contract is not only a victory for our team, but for all game workers, and even 2K.”
