Workers at Rockstar Games will decide between November 12 and November 26 whether the studio formally recognizes the Rockstar Game Workers Union. The Rockstar union vote window overlaps with the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6, which arrives on November 19.
If a majority votes yes, Rockstar would have to recognize the union as the body that negotiates employment matters on behalf of staff. With a workforce of more than 4,700 people, that would make it the largest recognized union in the video game industry, according to Destructoid.
How the Rockstar union vote compares to other game unions
Organized labor in game development has grown over the past few years, but most recognized units are still small. In the United States, the largest is Activision Quality Assurance United-CWA, which represents around 600 QA testers. ZeniMax Workers United follows with about 300 QA workers spread across several ZeniMax divisions.
In Europe, the IWGB Game Workers Union is the largest democratic union of game developers in the UK. It counts more than 2,000 members across over 80 studios. Still, those members are spread across many employers, while a successful Rockstar union vote would cover a single company with more than twice that headcount.
A court ruling lands on GTA 6 launch day
The timing is tight for Rockstar on a second front. The company is currently fighting the IWGB in court over the dismissal of 31 employees, whom Rockstar holds responsible for leaks of Grand Theft Auto 6 material.
The IWGB argues the firings were unfair and amounted to union busting. Rockstar maintains the dismissals were about the leaks. A decision in that case is also expected on November 19, the same day Grand Theft Auto 6 launches and one week into the voting period.
As a result, the outcome of the court case could shape how staff approach the Rockstar union vote in its final week. However, the two processes are legally separate.
Rockstar’s history with workplace complaints
The studio has faced public scrutiny over working conditions before. In the run-up to the 2018 release of Red Dead Redemption 2, reports of crunch and long hours drew wide attention to how Rockstar ran its teams.
No comparable reports have surfaced about the development of Grand Theft Auto 6 so far. Meanwhile, the company’s leadership has spoken publicly about the union question. Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar’s head of publishing, said: “We go where the team goes. So if they want a union, they will have a union.”
What happens next
The Rockstar union vote opens on November 12 and closes on November 26, with results expected by the end of that window. Then, if workers back recognition, the Rockstar Game Workers Union would move into formal negotiations with management over pay, hours and other employment terms.
Any talks would start in the weeks after Grand Theft Auto 6 reaches players. They would also follow the court ruling on the 31 dismissals, which the IWGB describes as an attack on organizing at the studio.