Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar fired 31 employees in October 2025, allegedly—according to the terminated employees—because they were trying to form a union. Rockstar denied those allegations, however, and said the employees were terminated because they revealed “specific game features from upcoming and unannounced titles” in “a public forum.”
Legal action was filed against Rockstar over the firings, and that matter is still working its way through the system. But one outcome has been reached: Rockstar workers have formed a union.
The Rockstar Game Workers Union (via Game Developer) is a part of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, the union that’s been leading the effort against Rockstar on behalf of the employees who were fired in 2025. The union was announced with a play on gamers’ longstanding desire for the next Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer: “The video GTA fans have been waiting for.”
GTA fans have been on the edge of their seats at the rumours a new video is about to drop…
Well the wait is over.
We present: the public launch of the Rockstar IWGB Game Workers Union.
Our platform, to tell our story.
youtu.be/iLOq_6rOpoM— @rsgworkersunion.bsky.social (@rsgworkersunion.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-05-28T22:29:04.668Z
Instead of a videogame trailer, though, the video recaps the events of the past seven months, from the dismissal of 31 employees last year through protests at Rockstar offices, a commitment from the UK government to investigate the matter, and the legal action filed by the IWGB. And, the union says, rather than impeding unionization efforts, Rockstar’s actions only catalyzed them.
“We are now bigger and stronger than ever with more and more workers joining from across every one of Rockstar’s sites in Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Lincoln, and Dundee,” the narrator states. “Together, we are organizing around the things we want to change, starting with pay transparency, flexible working, and an end to crunch.”
The union is also raising funds to pay for its legal case against Rockstar: “We’re determined to win justice for the 31 fired workers and to show studios like Rockstar that they cannot get away with this disgusting treatment of the people whose talent, skill, and creativity are what capture their audiences and generate their billions.”
Rockstar does indeed expect to earn billions on Grand Theft Auto 6: Parent company Take-Two Interactive said last week that it expects revenues for its 2027 fiscal year to surpass $8 billion, a year-over-year increase of more than $1 billion powered by the console release of GTA 6 on November 19. We’re still waiting for official word on a PC version.
I’ve reached out to Rockstar for comment on the new union and will update after I receive a reply.
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