King, the Microsoft-owned studio behind Candy Crush, has signed a collective bargaining agreement with Unionen and Engineers of Sweden, effective April 1, 2027, averting a planned strike. Negotiations began in May 2025 after employees organised in response to the removal of a private doctor benefit in 2024. The CBA gives staff stronger formal influence and advance notice of reorganisations, though it does not block layoffs. Union leaders say the deal aligns King with typical Swedish labour standards.
Candy Crush Maker King Signs Collective Bargaining Agreement With Swedish Unions — Strike Averted
King
King, the Microsoft-owned studio behind Candy Crush, has signed a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with Sweden's Unionen and Engineers of Sweden that covers its Swedish workforce. The deal was finalised a day before a planned strike and comes shortly after recent layoffs across Microsoft's Xbox teams. The CBA takes effect on April 1, 2027.
Negotiations between King and the unions began in May 2025. The push to organise traces back to 2024, when King removed a private doctor benefit, prompting employees to form a union club and push for greater influence over workplace conditions. That escalation led to a strike notice in September 2025 followed by mediation.
Until the agreement was reached, King had publicly resisted signing a CBA, arguing that its existing benefits package was already strong and that moving to a collective agreement could potentially reduce some employees' benefits. That stance mirrors messaging used by other major tech employers during organising drives.
The unions say the new CBA strengthens employees' formal influence over working conditions by guaranteeing advance information about restructurings and other changes that affect roles and operations. While the agreement does not prevent layoffs — an immediate concern given recent reductions across Microsoft’s gaming divisions — it provides staff with clearer channels to participate in consultations and receive notice of changes.
Union leaders also emphasised that the deal brings King closer to Swedish labour norms. Engineers of Sweden notes that nearly nine out of ten employees in Sweden already have basic job security through collective bargaining agreements.
"This is an important step for King, the gaming industry and for the Swedish model," said Camilla Frankelius, Head of Negotiations at Engineers of Sweden. "We look forward to good cooperation with the company going forward and to the employees receiving the basic job security that almost nine out of ten employees in Sweden have through collective bargaining agreements."
With the agreement in place, the planned strike has been averted and both sides will move into the implementation phase ahead of the CBA's start date on April 1, 2027.
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