More than 1,600 employees at Rockstar Games in the UK will vote on union recognition starting Thursday, according to a report published November 12 by The Register. The ballot opened on November 12 and continues through November 26, arriving just one week before Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19. If approved, the Rockstar Game Workers Union, affiliated with the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, would become the largest recognized union in the UK games industry.
Nearly all UK-based Rockstar staff below director level can participate in the vote, which would grant employees collective bargaining rights over compensation, overtime, retirement benefits, bonuses, time off, and additional employment terms. The proposed recognition deal follows four months of talks between company leadership and staff. Workers would also gain consultation rights on human resources policies and artificial intelligence matters. The timing coincides with GTA VI's release more than 13 years after the previous installment, with the game anticipated to rank among the biggest entertainment launches ever recorded.
"I am incredibly proud of the work we've put into making this game. I'm also proud of the union we've built here. For me, those two things are connected," said Nestor Uriate, an animation programmer and union representative. The vote arrives after a contentious year between Rockstar and the IWGB, during which the union claimed Rockstar engaged in union busting by dismissing 31 members in October 2025, alleging they'd been targeted for participating in a private Discord group. Rockstar rejected these accusations, stating the terminations resulted from gross misconduct rather than union involvement. The dispute reached an employment tribunal, where Rockstar unsuccessfully sought to remove blacklisting allegations from the case, with closing arguments scheduled for November 17 and 18.
Despite ongoing legal proceedings, Rockstar's head of publishing, Jennifer Kolbe, recently signaled management would honor the recognition vote's outcome, telling Bloomberg: "We go where the team goes. So if they want a union, they will have a union." Alex Marshall, IWGB president, characterized the ballot as a chance for Rockstar staff to gain greater control over workplace conditions, noting that "workers across the games industry are watching." The vote has drawn support from SAG-AFTRA and the Communications Workers of America, which represents Blizzard employees. By the time GTA VI has spent one week in players' hands, Rockstar will know whether its UK workforce has secured formal representation at the bargaining table. The outcome could shape organizing efforts throughout an industry where worker protections remain inconsistent and crunch culture continues to drive talent toward collective action.