GTA 6 developers have now formally requested Rockstar Games officially recognise them ahead of the game’s launch. This comes after hundreds of developers who currently work at Rockstar on GTA VI and those that were fired officially launched their union last month.
The Guardian is reporting that the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) and the newly formed Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU) are attempting to gain true unionisation by Grand Theft Auto 6’s release date, November 19th.
In a statement posted on their website, the IWGB says “Workers at Rockstar Games have submitted a request for voluntary recognition of the IWGB Game Workers Union, in a move that could make the studio the second UK games studio with a recognised union.”
This has been a long time coming. Staff have been “actively organising” within Rockstar Games since 2019. Many years later, a large portion of staff across Rockstar’s Edinburgh, Dundee, Lincoln, Leeds and London offices have joined.
What Does This Do?
The goal for this union is fairly simple. Make Rockstar’s workplace better. In the 7 years of organising, staff have been able to work for “unprecedented average pay rises and financial incentives for crunch for the first time ever.” Crunch culture was a bad aspect of Rockstar in the previous releases.
On top of that, if recognition is successful, staff working at Rockstar would be able bargain with management securely and union representatives and members would gain additional workplace protections and rights. There are demands for more transparency on pay, “strengthening flexible working arrangements” and “addressing excessive overtime and workload pressures in the industry.” All of this leads to a better workplace.
“There is so much that is special about the studio and the work we put out. We want to protect that. When people are confronted with pay disparities, excessive overtime or a lack of flexibility in arrangements, they are not in the best position to do their best work.
We want to sit down with management and build a future where both the games and the conditions of the people who make them are as strong as possible.”
Josh Walter, Senior QA tester, Rockstar Lincoln
Looking Ahead
The IWGB say on BlueSky that their “campaign for a union at Rockstar continues” and that a filing for recognition was completed on Tuesday. The IWGB and its union members are requesting Rockstar meet their demands for “good working conditions, fairness and a say at work.”
At the time of writing, Rockstar Games have not responded. We’ll see if they do.
UPDATE – June 30th @ 8pm BST:
A statement provided to IGN by Rockstar confirm they have entered talks:
“We strive to make the best games possible by giving our talented teams world-class work environments and ongoing career opportunities. We have fostered a culture which is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness, and where we support and reward the team across all levels of the business through competitive compensation and benefits policies. We are proud that as a result, our employee retention is well above the industry standard.
“We have received a request from a union seeking to discuss voluntary recognition. We value an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and will arrange to meet.”
In other related news, Rockstar suffered a setback in their legal case against the employees they fired. Learn more about this here. This comes after politicians have accused Rockstar of blocking the ongoing legal proceedings. Learn more about it here.
Be sure to stay tuned to RockstarINTEL for all the latest news on Rockstar Games and Grand Theft Auto VI.
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