Rockstar Games employees have locked in a union vote next month, and it’ll take place over Grand Theft Auto 6’s release window
Remember, remember the 12th of November.
A date has been locked in for Rockstar Games employees to vote on whether to recognise their developer union. If successful, it will become the largest recognised union across the entirety of the UK video games industry.
The vote, which runs from the 12th to the 26th November, will give workers at Rockstar Games a chance to decide whether Rockstar will formally acknowledge and negotiate with the Rockstar Game Workers Union on matters involving its employees. These dates notably fall on either side of Grand Theft Auto 6‘s release date, and shortly after Rockstar’s head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe told Bloomberg: “we go where the team goes. So if they want a union, they will have a union.”
This announcement also comes as the legal battle between Rockstar and the Independent Workers of Great Britain union over the alleged unfair firing of over 30 employees. The union argues this was an attempt at union busting, whereas Rockstar stands by its decision to fire them for gross misconduct, pointing to the sharing of confidential information in a union Discord as the reason for the intervention.
This case was meant to have finished already. However, it ran long, resulting in its conclusion being delayed to the 17th and 18th of November.
So it’s fair to say, November is a big month for Rockstar and its employees. It’s entirely possible that by December, developers at the gaming giant will have both a union representing them and an industry shaking release to celebrate. Fingers crossed.
PS5, Xbox Series X/S


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