GTA 6 developers at Rockstar Games pushing to pursue official union recognition following 2025 sackings: “The union is now stronger than ever”
Developers at Rockstar Games have requested formal recognition of their newly formed union, the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU), established under the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) in May 2025. The union claims to represent a significant portion of the workforce across five UK offices in Edinburgh, Dundee, Lincoln, Leeds, and London.
The unionization push follows contentious 2024 layoffs in which Rockstar terminated over 30 UK staff members. While Rockstar attributed the dismissals to confidentiality breaches regarding Grand Theft Auto 6, affected workers and the union characterize the action as union-busting—a claim under ongoing legal review.
Rockstar has ten working days to voluntarily recognize the union; if it refuses, the RGWU can escalate to the UK Department for Business and Trade, potentially triggering a formal government tribunal. Recognition would establish formal collective bargaining channels to negotiate pay transparency, flexible working policies, and limits on crunch—the excessive overtime endemic to game development.
The move positions Rockstar to become the second UK game studio with formal union recognition, following ZA/UM (Disco Elysium developer). Union leadership argues that with GTA 6 having already generated over $3 billion in preorders before launch, the studio can afford to negotiate fairly. “Rockstar leads the industry in the games we create,” the union stated. “We believe it can also lead the industry in how it treats the people who make them.”
Notably, the timing is strategic: workers seek job protections ahead of the typical post-launch layoff cycle that historically follows major game releases.
Sources
- GTA 6 developers at Rockstar Games pushing to pursue official union recognition following 2025 sackings: “The union is now stronger than ever”
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- GTA 6 Developers Ask Rockstar for Union Recognition — and They’re Prepared to Go to the UK Government if Necessary
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- GTA 6 makers have 10 working days to voluntarily recognise Rockstar IWGB Game Workers Union or it may go to a government tribunal
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- “Rockstar bosses can easily afford to sit around the table with the people whose hard work created these games”: GTA 6 developers are looking to unionize before potential post-launch layoffs