18 temp workers, however, have been offered full-time positions — up from six originally, after negotiations with AEGIS-CWA, a union representing Sega workers.
The boost to full-time status is an improvement for those temp workers, who typically work at least 40 hours a week with very few benefits and no clear path to promotion, according to an ex-Sega employee.
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100-page report on the fast-growing game localization vertical. Includes market size, game development, language tech, GaaS, and in-depth localization process guide.
Union Efforts
“Through our union efforts, we’ve been able to more than double the number of saved jobs, and to offer severance to our temp workers,” tweeted AEGIS-CWA on January 30, 2024.
The organization added, “This, however, does not take away from the fact that many of our coworkers are being laid off in a decision we believe will have a negative impact on the working conditions of those who remain with the company, and in the quality of our future games.”
Sega of America is now expected to rely on a mix of existing in-house talent from other offices, supplemented by outsourcing certain work.
The ex-Sega employee told Slator that increasing the distance between the localization and QA departments by outsourcing one or both departments could result in longer debugging processes and more complex communications — with the potential for misunderstandings and errors.
“The loc department at Sega is staffed by members who have been there 10+ years, and worked on dozens of games in the same franchise,” they added. “Outsourcing some or all of them will jeopardize the consistency of SEGA’s localization.”
