CWA labor union blasts Sony over Firewalk Studios & Neon Koi closures

The Communication Workers of America claimed Sony is seeking to 'further its monopoly position in the video game industry.'

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This last week, one of the biggest stories in the gaming industry was another closure with PlayStation shutting down Concord developer Firewalk Studios and the German-Finnish Neon Koi studio. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) labor union has taken massive issue with that, putting out a statement that it intends to combat what it sees as Sony engaging in monopolistic behavior.

The CWA put out its statement on Sony’s closing of Firewalk and Neon Koi this week, as shared by Game Developer. The group claimed that the studio closures continue to stress the importance of collective bargaining among industry employees, and that Sony’s actions suggest a concentrated effort to maintain a stranglehold on its corner of the video game market:

Firewalk Studios' Concord with heroes running towards the camera with their weapons
After Concord's failure to gain traction, it was a short time between PlayStation shutting down the game, and then the studio.
Source: PlayStation

The CWA went on to signal that it would be engaging in efforts to raise concern about Sony’s market power with legislators and lawmakers:

The CWA has had a heavy hand in aiding the video game industry in unionization, having helped a union organize within Sega of America. The group had also taken on executive leadership at Activision Blizzard several times over for its anti-worker and anti-union practices.

It will remain to be seen what effect the CWA has on Sony. Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story for further updates.

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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