Bowser: Nintendo doesn't have unions due to employee satisfaction

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President of Nintendo of America, Doug Bowser, said that the firm has no unions due to job satisfaction and engagement.

His comments came from an interview with Inverse, where the executive was asked about unionization growing in the games industry.

Bowser said, "You only have to look at our retention numbers, which are very, very high within the industry, and our obviously low turnover rate as a result.

"Our focus has always been on creating a culture that's inclusive, has a work-life balance, and is focused on our singular mission of bringing smiles to faces."

He added, "Everyone has the right to form a union, and certainly in the future, wherever it takes us, we'll respect that."

Bowser's comments seemingly counter the experiences of contractors who work at the Mario Maker but are technically employed by an outside company.

In 2022, an exposé from Kotaku alleged that the firm maintained cyclical contract work for low wages, expected overtime, and lack of benefits.

A month later, IGN also released a report in which Nintendo contractors criticized the company's culture and their treatment.

Among the allegations, contracted staffers said they were doing full-time employees' work.

That same year, Nintendo of America received a labor complaint in April, and the person at the center of the accusation settled with Nintendo in October.

However, the company still has a second formal NLRB complaint, filed in August of 2022.