Over the last handful of years, unions within the video game industry have grown as workers seek to gain protections in one of the world’s most volatile industries. From Bethesda to Activision Blizzard to Ubisoft and more, employees are standing up for their rights. And you can now add another studio to the list where employees are looking to unionize: Rockstar Games.
Late last year, 31 employees were let go at the UK studio. Though the company claims that it was done after discovering the staff were sharing confidential information regarding Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), the employees believe it to have been a case of union busting.
While that case continues to move forward, those still with Rockstar Games are looking to make sure that what happened to their former colleagues doesn’t happen to them.
Rockstar Employees Are Working With The IWGB
First reported by The Guardian, employees at Rockstar Games are working with the IWGB Game Workers Union to unionize before the launch of GTA 6.
“If the plans succeed, workers would secure formal channels for collective bargaining with management, while union representatives and members would gain additional workplace protections and rights,” the report says.
The staff at Rockstar are hoping that the company will voluntarily acknowledge employees’ plan to unionize. However, should that not happen, they are not afraid to further their efforts, which could include a strike at the studio.
“We hope Rockstar voluntarily recognises the union; we are inviting Rockstar to meet us and make it a celebration of people who make the games possible,” Jordan Garland, a former Rockstar employee who was one of the 31 people let go last year, told The Guardian.
When reached for comment, Rockstar didn’t acknowledge the unionization efforts. Instead, the company spoke on the layoffs that happened last year, suggesting that any claims of union busting are “entirely false and misleading.”
What do you think of Rockstar Games employees hoping to unionize before GTA 6 launches in November? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion in the official Insider Gaming Discord.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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I legit don’t want unions in game studios. I don’t think unions are as helpful as people think.
Too many police unions protect bad police so I just have to imagine that happens in all union, protecting bad employees who know how to use a system to their advantage.