GTA 6 Developers Seek Union Recognition, Prepared to Take Fight to UK Government if Necessary

The developers of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) have made a bold move by applying for voluntary recognition of the IWGB Game Workers Union. This move is aimed at making Rockstar Games, the developer behind GTA 6, the second UK games studio with a recognized union.

According to the IWGB, the union would provide its members with additional protections and rights, including pay transparency, flexible working, and better overtime practices. The union claims to represent a significant portion of the Rockstar workforce across its offices in Edinburgh, Dundee, Lincoln, Leeds, and London.

Josh Walter, a senior QA tester at Rockstar Lincoln, emphasized the importance of union recognition, stating, ‘Rockstar leads the industry in the games we create. We believe it can also lead the industry in how it treats the people who make them. There is so much that is special about the studio and the work we put out. We want to protect that.’

Shanti Easton-Steel, production co-ordinator at Rockstar North, added, ‘This is a landmark moment for the Rockstar Game Workers Union, and hopefully for the industry as a whole. It’s thanks to the hard work of so many of our members — both those currently with us and those who were fired last October — that we are now in a strong enough position to pursue formal recognition.’

The IWGB is challenging the dismissals of 34 Rockstar employees through a Glasgow employment tribunal, which is scheduled to begin in September 2026. The union’s President, Alex Marshall, stated, ‘Many people assumed that Rockstar dismissing 31 union members last year would weaken organizing at the company — but in fact the union is now stronger than ever.’

The recognition application comes amid an ongoing legal dispute over what the IWGB claims was union busting by Rockstar. Rockstar has insisted that the employees it fired were dismissed because they leaked game features for upcoming and unannounced titles in Discord, not because they were trying to unionize.

The IWGB is seeking voluntary recognition from Rockstar, but if refused, they will submit their application for statutory recognition from the Department for Business and Trade’s Central Arbitration Committee (CAC). The union has not ruled out the possibility of going on strike, stating that members will decide on the organizing strategy they use to secure recognition.

Key Points:

• The developers of GTA 6 have applied for voluntary recognition of the IWGB Game Workers Union.
• The union would provide its members with additional protections and rights, including pay transparency, flexible working, and better overtime practices.
• The IWGB claims to represent a significant portion of the Rockstar workforce across its offices in Edinburgh, Dundee, Lincoln, Leeds, and London.
• The union is challenging the dismissals of 34 Rockstar employees through a Glasgow employment tribunal.
• The recognition application comes amid an ongoing legal dispute over what the IWGB claims was union busting by Rockstar.

Quote:

‘Rockstar leads the industry in the games we create. We believe it can also lead the industry in how it treats the people who make them. There is so much that is special about the studio and the work we put out. We want to protect that.’

Statistics:

The IWGB claims that the union’s existence has contributed to unprecedented average pay rises and financial incentives for crunch for the first time ever. The union also stated that GTA 6 has reportedly already generated more than $3 billion in preorder sales.