Rockstar Games employees in the UK will vote on union recognition from November 12 until November 26. The two-week voting window falls around the November 19 release of Grand Theft Auto VI. It takes place as Rockstar Games and Take-Two prepare to launch the latest entry in the Grand Theft Auto series.
The Independent Worker’s Union of Great Britain announced the formal recognition vote for Rockstar staff. The union made the announcement as Rockstar employees organized around the game’s release. The ballot gives employees a direct say on whether the union will represent them. The announcement came ahead of the November voting window.
The Rockstar Game Workers Union announced its formation in May 2026. It covers employees at Rockstar’s UK offices. Kotaku reported that if the vote succeeds, the recognized body would become the largest video game sector union in the UK. The recognition would formalize representation for the studio’s British staff across several locations.
The vote runs independently of an employment tribunal over Rockstar’s 2025 decision to fire over 30 union employees for gross misconduct. An employment tribunal is a legal body that resolves workplace disputes. The tribunal case remains separate from the recognition ballot. Former employees and the union have characterized the firings as union busting.
In October 2025, Rockstar suddenly fired 31 individuals involved in its budding union efforts. Members have characterized the dismissals as union busting. The firings came during an early stage of organizing at the studio.
Rockstar disputes the union-busting characterization. The company says it terminated the workers for gross misconduct and for sharing company secrets externally.
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain filed a complaint after Rockstar dismissed more than 30 employees in October 2025. Most of those dismissed were union members or involved in organizing activity. The complaint underpins the ongoing employment tribunal. The case centers on the studio’s actions during the 2025 organizing drive.
The tribunal will hold closing arguments on November 17 or 18. Hearings were expected to conclude in early October. The schedule places the tribunal’s final stage close to the game’s release. The ballot and the tribunal’s closing arguments both take place near the launch date.
The tribunal has examined the presence of a mole in the union’s Discord server. Discord is a chat platform used by online communities. The individual allegedly leaked secrets to Rockstar in exchange for time off. The revelation emerged during the labor dispute hearing.
Take-Two’s revenue forecast for fiscal year 2027 stands at $8 billion, with part of that tied to projected sales of Grand Theft Auto VI. The forecast ties part of the publisher’s upcoming earnings to the game’s release. Grand Theft Auto VI is the latest entry in the series from Rockstar Games and Take-Two.
Workers have been meeting with Rockstar management since July to negotiate a voluntary recognition deal. The talks cover pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working, and generative AI policies. Generative AI is a technology that creates text, images, or other content from user prompts.
Before the vote, workers had asked Rockstar to recognize the union before the game’s release. The request came as employees sought input on compensation, overtime, layoffs, flexible work, and artificial intelligence policy.
Jennifer Koble, Rockstar’s head of publishing, said, “we go where the team goes. If they want a union, they will have a union.” Her remarks came as workers sought input on compensation, overtime, layoffs, flexible work, and AI policies. The statement addresses the organizing drive directly.
Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier reported that Rockstar’s head of publishing, Jennifer Kolbe, told him that if the team wants a union, it will have one. The comment echoes the position Koble described publicly. Both remarks address the same question of union recognition at Rockstar.
A member of the Rockstar Game Workers Union Committee said workers have a chance to make gaming history not once, but twice as players experience Grand Theft Auto VI for the first time. The statement linked the ballot timing to the launch. It said workers would make their voices heard for the first time while players experience the game.
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