Rockstar Game Workers Union aims to secure collective bargaining rights amid ongoing legal disputes over alleged unfair dismissals

Image credit: IWGB

Rockstar employees in the UK have requested voluntary union recognition from the developer to address pay transparency, flexible working, and overtime.

The Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU), part of the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB), was established last month.

Members of the IWGB have been organising at Rockstar since 2019, representing "a significant portion of the workforce across each of the studio's sites in Edinburgh, Dundee, Lincoln, Leeds, and London."

As the RGWU has grown, the IWGB stated that "Rockstar has already made improvements to workers' conditions, including unprecedented average pay rises and financial incentives for crunch for the first time ever."

If formally recognised, the RGWU would make Rockstar the second UK developer with a recognised union. ZA/UM was the first, reaching this milestone in October 2025.

In a statement to IGN, Rockstar said: "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."

The request for recognition follows an ongoing legal dispute between the IWGB and Rockstar over the dismissal of 34 employees in the UK and Canada last year.

The IWGB accused Rockstar of union busting. Rockstar stated the dismissals were due to staff allegedly leaking "confidential information in a public forum," specifically a Discord server operated by the IWGB.

The IWGB filed formal legal claims against Rockstar, and the issue was raised in UK Parliament. A final employment tribunal hearing is scheduled for September 2026, "where it will be decided whether workers were unlawfully fired for trade union activity."

Additional information about the ongoing dispute is available in our timeline of events.

"Applying for union recognition is the next step in strengthening their presence in the workplace," said IWGB Union president Alex Marshall.

"Rockstar has maintained that it respects workers' trade union rights. This is now an opportunity for it to demonstrate that in practice.

"Grand Theft Auto 6 has reportedly already generated more than $3 billion in preorder sales. Rockstar bosses can easily afford to sit around the table with the people whose hard work created these games, and give them a meaningful voice in their workplace."

Rockstar North production co-ordinator Shanti Easton-Steel 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.

"Whilst it's painful that our dismissed colleagues are not here to share this milestone moment, the best way we can honour their contribution now is by succeeding in the fight they helped us to start, and making them proud to have been a part of it."

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