Rockstar’s UK staff will vote this month on whether to formally recognise a union. The ballot covers more than 1,600 workers across Rockstar’s British studios. Voting runs from November 12 to November 26. The result lands in the same window as the launch of GTA VI.
The union is the IWGB Rockstar Game Workers Union. Talks between the union and Rockstar management began in July 2026. Those talks ended with an agreement to hold this recognition vote. The vote is online and anonymous.
If staff vote yes the union would be formally recognised. It would then negotiate on pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies and job security, and flexible working. Policies on AI and working from home are also part of the talks. IWGB says it would become the largest union in the UK games sector.
The ballot arrives at a tense moment. An employment tribunal in Scotland is also due to finish this month. The case covers the dismissal of more than 30 Rockstar staff in late 2025. The union says those workers were fired for union activity. Rockstar says they were dismissed for leaking details about upcoming games. Final tribunal hearings are set for November 17 and 18.
Rockstar’s head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe has said leadership will accept the vote result. She told Bloomberg the company goes where the team goes and that if staff want a union they will have a union.
One detail is already clear either way. IWGB president Alex Marshall has said the negotiated package does not include a fixed share of GTA VI sales for staff.
GTA VI launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-loading starts on November 10. By the time the game is in players’ hands the people who built it will be midway through one of the most important votes in UK games history.
