UK-based employees of Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar Games will soon vote on formally recognizing their union, with the ballot beginning on November 12. The two-week voting process is thus scheduled to kick off on the same day GTA 6 becomes available to preload, marking the final and critically important step in the game’s pre-release roadmap.
The vote concerns official recognition of the existing Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which had around 200 GTA 6 developers among its members before Rockstar fired more than 30 workers in October 2025, citing “gross misconduct.” The IWGB alleged that the dismissals were part of a broader union-busting campaign, while the terminated workers have since challenged them before an employment tribunal. Rockstar workers separately requested voluntary recognition on June 30, and representatives have reportedly been negotiating the terms of a recognition agreement with management since July 2026.
Rockstar Union Vote Will Span GTA 6’s Launch
Rockstar’s UK employees will vote on union recognition between November 12 and 26, an IWGB official told Aftermath. The recognition agreement being put to a vote would give workers a formal say on issues including pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working, and generative AI policies. If approved, the IWGB says the Rockstar branch would become the largest recognized video game union in the UK.
