Rockstar Games employees in the UK will reportedly hold a union vote next month, around the release of Grand Theft Auto VI.
The news comes from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB). The exact voting dates haven’t been confirmed yet. Neither has the full wording of the union’s announcement.
Rockstar has several UK studios. Rockstar North in Edinburgh leads development on the GTA series. There are also offices in Leeds, Lincoln, London, and Dundee. It isn’t clear which studios, teams, or job roles are included, or how many people can vote.
The purpose of the vote hasn’t been spelled out either. In UK labor terms, a “union vote” often means a recognition ballot. In that kind of vote, workers decide whether the company must officially deal with a union when negotiating on their behalf. The IWGB hasn’t confirmed that this is that type of vote.
The elephant in the studio
The vote follows a tense year between Rockstar and the IWGB.
In late 2025, Rockstar fired more than 30 employees in the UK and Canada. Rockstar said the staff were let go for sharing confidential information in a public forum. The IWGB said the fired workers were union members and called the move union busting. The union then took legal action against the company.
Take-Two has defended the firings. The case drew wide attention across the industry, including a video from People Make Games.
