Category: Rockstar

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.

If successful, the recognition would follow IWGB members at ZA/UM, who became the first UK games workers to achieve recognition in October 2025. Should Rockstar accept the request, workers would secure formal channels for collective bargaining with management, while union representatives and members would gain additional workplace protections and rights.

The recognition request comes amid an ongoing legal dispute between Rockstar management and the IWGB over allegations relating to the dismissal of 31 union members in October 2025. The IWGB is challenging the dismissals through an employment tribunal, with a final hearing scheduled to begin in September 2026, where it will be decided whether workers were unlawfully fired for trade union activity.

IWGB members have been actively organising at Rockstar since 2019 and claim they now represent a significant proportion of the workforce across each of the studio’s sites in Edinburgh, Dundee, Lincoln, Leeds and London. The union says that since then, workers have already seen progress, including unprecedented average pay rises and financial incentives for crunch for the first time ever.

They say their priorities for recognition are improving pay transparency, strengthening flexible working arrangements, and addressing excessive overtime and workload pressures in the industry.

The application comes as Grand Theft Auto VI, Rockstar’s upcoming release, reportedly generated $3 billion in pre-orders after opening last week.

Josh Walter, a senior QA tester at Rockstar’s Lincoln site, said: “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. 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.”

Shanti Easton-Steel, Production Co-ordinator at Rockstar North, said: “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.

This recognition bid only comes after years of effort by our members and could not have happened without the support of many of our non-member colleagues too. We hope lots more people will now feel comfortable to join the union, but even for those that don’t, we ask that they remain supportive of the cause as we move forward with momentum towards our key objectives of pay transparency, fairer crunch practices and better flexible working arrangements.”

Alex Marshall, President of the IWGB Union, said: “Many people assumed that Rockstar dismissing 31 union members last year would weaken organising at the company – but in fact the union is now stronger than ever.

Over the last 4 years, workers have built a significant presence across Rockstar’s sites, and now represent a large proportion of the workforce. Applying for union recognition is the next step in strengthening their presence in the workplace. Rockstar has maintained that it respects workers’ trade union rights. This is now an opportunity for it to demonstrate that in practice.

GTA VI 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.”

• An employment tribunal has ruled against Rockstar Games in the latest stage of a legal dispute over alleged union-busting at the studio, after 31 union members were summarily dismissed in October last year
• The latest tribunal decision upheld the right of the IWGB Union – the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain – to continue bringing blacklisting claims against the company at the final trial which will run from 10 September to 15 October this year
• The ruling is the latest set back facing Rockstar Games as it prepares for the planned release date of Grand Theft Auto VI on 19 November, anticipated to be the biggest game launch of all time

Wednesday 17 June 2026: An employment tribunal has ruled against Rockstar Games in the latest stage of a legal dispute over alleged union-busting at the studio. The ruling allows the IWGB Union to continue bringing blacklisting claims against the company at the final trial set to take place over September and October this year.

Following the sudden dismissals of 31 of its members in October last year, the IWGB Union has been preparing to take Rockstar to court over allegations including blacklisting – the practice of compiling information about workers involved in union activity in order to discriminate against them.

At the latest preliminary hearing, Rockstar sought to strike blacklisting claims from the case being brought against it, but the ruling, published yesterday, rejects this attempt to narrow the scope of the case, and confirms that every one of the union’s allegations relating to union-busting can proceed to trial.

The dates for the final hearing have now been shared, with the trial set to begin on the 10th of September and run to the 15th of October this year. The court case will conclude just over a month before the planned release of Grand Theft Auto VI on the 19th of November, expected to be one of the biggest video game launches in history.

Ellie Dunstan, one of the workers fired by Rockstar in October last year, said: “This ruling is a huge moment for us. Rockstar thought they could control the narrative. They’re wrong, and we look forward to proving it. Our case will now be heard in full and put to the test as it should be. The world will get to see for itself the evidence as to what happened last October.

We loved our work at Rockstar. Losing our passion, our colleagues and our incomes in the blink of an eye was devastating, and the company management has treated us with disdain ever since, refusing to grant us appeals or respond to basic evidence requests. After months of fighting to have our voices heard, this is a moment to celebrate. The judgment shows that even against a company with Rockstar’s resources, workers can stand together and demand accountability

This fight has always been about more than just our own situation – it is about making sure workers across the games industry and beyond have the right to stand together, speak out, and organise for a fairer sector.”

Spring McParlin-Jones, Chair of the IWGB Game Workers Branch, said:

“This ruling is a major blow to Rockstar’s attempts to avoid scrutiny for its actions, and a major step forward in our fight for justice for our members. The tribunal has refused to let Rockstar off the hook, finding that serious factual questions remain about how these workers were identified, listed and dismissed – questions that must now be tested at a full hearing.

From the moment employees were escorted from their buildings without warning, and throughout every subsequent stage of the legal proceedings, Rockstar has attempted to avoid accountability – denying workers a fair hearing, failing to engage with basic evidence requests, and now attempting to limit scrutiny of the allegations brought against them. Gamers all over the world have seen through these tactics, and now a tribunal has also cast doubt on Rockstar’s version of events.

The decision strengthens our case at a critical time as we prepare for the final stage of this David versus Goliath legal battle, which could shape the future of union rights across the games industry and beyond. We’re asking gamers, workers and supporters the world over to make history with us by contributing towards our legal costs. In order to take on this multinational, multibillion pound corporation, we need as many people as possible – people who care about workers’ rights, people who care about the future of games – to unite behind us.”

Donate to the Rockstar workers’ fighting fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/support-rockstar-workers-fighting-unfair-dismissals