Rockstar UK staff to hold a union recognition vote as GTA VI launches

[Neil_14]

Rockstar Games faces a big moment for its workforce in the same week as its biggest launch. Engadget reports that Rockstar's UK staff are reportedly set to vote on recognising the Rockstar Game Workers Union, a branch of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain

The vote is reported to run from 12 to 26 November, overlapping the 19 November launch of GTA VI. If the union is recognised, it would be the largest recognised union in the UK games industry. It covers Rockstar's UK offices and was announced in May

The background is tense. In October 2025, Rockstar dismissed more than 30 staff, most of them union members or organisers. The union alleged union busting, while Rockstar says the dismissals were for misconduct involving sharing confidential information. An employment tribunal over the dismissals has been extended, with closing arguments expected around 17 or 18 November

Rockstar's head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe told Bloomberg earlier this month that if staff want a union, they will have a union. The number of eligible workers has not been given

Games unions are growing in the UK and elsewhere, and a recognised union at Rockstar would be a major milestone for the industry. The timing alongside GTA VI is striking. Whatever the result, it will be watched closely by workers at other studios

Should games developers be unionised? And how might a union change working conditions at big studios?

Rockstar workers in the UK will hold a union vote just as GTA 6 is released - Engadgetwww.engadget.com