Rockstar Developers Launch UK Union
Developers at Rockstar Games in the United Kingdom have publicly launched the Rockstar Game Workers Union, the studio’s first union, as a legal dispute over the dismissal of 31 workers continues five months before the release of Grand Theft Auto VI.
The union, a subsidiary of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, was announced in a video titled “The Video GTA Fans Have Been Waiting For”, which framed the launch as both a public declaration and a response to the dispute that has unfolded since October 2025.
According to the union, the case began when 31 Rockstar North employees were dismissed last October after participating in a private Discord group linked to organising efforts. Rockstar and parent company Take-Two have said the workers were dismissed for “gross misconduct”, alleging confidential information about unannounced titles had been shared in a public forum.
The IWGB has described the dismissals as unlawful retaliation for trade union activity and has pursued legal action on behalf of the affected workers. In January, a UK employment tribunal denied the workers interim relief, but the broader case remains before the courts.
Union organisers say the public launch is intended to build support for that legal fight while broadening the campaign across Rockstar’s UK offices in Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Lincoln and Dundee. The group says it is organising around pay transparency, flexible working and an end to crunch culture.
The timing gives the union unusual visibility. Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release on 19 November, and Take-Two has told investors it expects fiscal 2027 net bookings of between $8 billion and $8.2 billion, which the company says will be driven by the game’s launch.
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That context has increased scrutiny of labour conditions inside one of the industry’s most prominent studios. Rockstar has faced criticism in the past over crunch, and the union’s launch places workplace issues alongside the promotional build-up to one of the year’s biggest entertainment releases.
Whether the case leads to a broader shift in labour relations at Rockstar remains unclear. For now, the union is using the attention surrounding GTA VI to press its claims and argue that workplace organising in the games industry is becoming harder to ignore.
