Rockstar employees will hold a vote on union recognition over a two-week span in November that will perfectly bracket the studio's launch of the console version of Grand Theft Auto 6. If the vote carries in favor of the union, the IWGB Rockstar Game Workers Union will become the biggest game industry union in the UK, giving employees a voice on matters including pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working arrangements, and generative AI policies.

The terms of the recognition deal have been under negotiation between the union and Rockstar management since July, but unionization efforts have been underway for much longer. The process came under intense scrutiny in October 2025 when the studio fired 31 employees in what the IWGB claimed was "the most brazen act of union busting the games industry has ever seen." Rockstar alleged that the fired employees were leaking GTA 6 information in a public Discord; the matter is now before an employment tribunal in Scotland.

"This November, we have the chance to make gaming history not once but twice. As all our hard work, skill and creativity are experienced by GTA VI players for the first time, our voices will now be heard for the first time too," Rockstar Game Workers Union committee member Shanti Easton-Steel said.

"For me, this vote comes down to ensuring employees at Rockstar get honesty and openness surrounding the decisions that affect them. When management choices are kept hidden, we can't properly address issues like the gender pay gap, the uneven and ever-changing policies on overtime pay, or the concerns many co-workers hold around job security post-release.

Source link