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The recently formed Rockstar developer union – officially the Rockstar Games Workers Union – have had their first meeting with management at the GTA 6 maker, whom they’re still seeking voluntary recognition from. The union, who’re part of the wider Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), have called this first meeting “a step in the right direction” and that they’ve secured “a roadmap for a speedy negotiation process”.
“It was a step in the right direction,” the union wrote in a BlueSky post about this initial sit-down. “We were able to make the case that workers’ voices need to be heard and that we can collaborate to achieve this. We managed to secure a roadmap for a speedy negotiation process.”
That negotiation process is all part of the union’s push for Rockstar to voluntarily recognise them, with the company having requested these negotiations before they agree to do so. If, for whatever reason, voluntary recognition isn’t forthcoming, the union can go the route of submitting their application to the UK’s Department for Business and Trade’s Central Arbitration Committee, which can grant them statutory recognition.
We’re happy to share this major news🌱✊
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— RSGWU (@rsgworkersunion.bsky.social) 22 July 2026 at 16:03
As of right now, the union are looking to agree on a specific bargaining unit, that being the list of workers the union can represent. Once they’ve been recognised, the plan is to push for Rockstar to get rid of crunch practices, introduce transparency on pay, bring back flexible working, and commit to not using AI or laying off staff.
The union’s formation has come as Rockstar battle former staff fired last year in court, over what the company claimed was due to the leaking of “confidential information” via a public forum, while the IWGB have accused Rockstar of union busting. The final trial of those legal wranglings is set to get underway in September.
