GTA 6 Developers Ask Rockstar for Union Recognition — and They're Prepared to Go to the UK Government if Necessary
The union says it represents a significant share of workers across Rockstar’s UK studios and is seeking bargaining power after more than 30 firings.
- The IWGB Game Workers Union submitted a request for voluntary recognition from Grand Theft Auto VI developer Rockstar Games on Tuesday, seeking formal collective bargaining channels.
- Following the dismissal of 34 staff last year, the application comes amid an ongoing legal dispute where the IWGB claims "union busting" occurred, though Rockstar insists staff were fired for "gross misconduct."
- Calling the upcoming September tribunal "David and Goliath," former worker Jack Hoxby told BBC Newsbeat he backs current employees' efforts to form an officially recognized union despite the legal tensions.
- The union seeks to address "pay transparency, fairer crunch practices and better flexible working arrangements," while a Rockstar spokesperson stated, "We value an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and will arrange to meet."
- Grand Theft Auto VI has generated more than $3 billion in preorders, while the unionization push mirrors broader industry trends following successful union contracts at Activision studio Raven Software and Double Fine.
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Ahead of the launch of the blockbuster game "GTA VI", a conflict has flared up between the union and the game studio Rockstar, which fired around thirty employees last year.
GTA 6 Developers Ask Rockstar for Union Recognition — and They're Prepared to Go to the UK Government if Necessary
Rockstar developers have applied for voluntary recognition of the IWGB Game Workers Union in a bid to make the Grand Theft Auto 6 developer the second UK games studio with a recognized union.
Rockstar workers push to unionize ahead of GTA VI’s launch
Workers at Grand Theft Auto VI developer Rockstar Games have submitted a request for their union, the IWGB Game Workers Union, to be voluntarily recognized, according to a press release. The request follows Rockstar firing more than 30 staffers last year in a move accused of being "union busting." According to the release, IWGB members have been "actively" organizing since 2019 and "claim they now represent a significant proportion of the workfo…
Employees at Rockstar Games, the developer behind “Grand Theft Auto VI,” are pushing to form an officially recognized union in the UK, The Guardian reports.
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