Rockstar’s UK developers will vote from November 12 through November 26, 2026, on forming a union with the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, while the ballot covers Grand Theft Auto 6’s launch on November 19, 2026.
Rockstar management and unionizing workers have held negotiations since July 2026 over a recognition deal that would cover pay, bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible work, and generative AI. Workers had sought voluntary recognition before Grand Theft Auto 6, but the company did not agree, so the question goes to a ballot.
A victory in the November 12-26, 2026, ballot would make the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain the largest recognized union in the UK’s video game sector. The vote overlaps the end of Rockstar’s labor dispute before a UK employment tribunal, with closing submissions set for November 17 and 18, 2026.
An extension pushed the tribunal hearing’s end from October 16 to November 17 and 18, 2026. Rockstar’s legal team said it required more time to question former employees dismissed the previous year, and the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain’s lawyers are continuing to cross-examine Rockstar’s witnesses. Hearing evidence included a claim that a mole in the union’s Discord server passed secrets to Rockstar in exchange for time off.
Last October, Rockstar dismissed 31 people connected to its early union organizing, and union members say the firings were union busting. The company says it fired those 31 workers for gross misconduct alone, and later said they shared company secrets through an external channel. Rockstar denies that union membership or activity played any part in the firings, pledges to defend itself vigorously at the tribunal, and says it never deliberately tried to stop a union from forming.
“For almost a year, the truth about what happened to us has been buried by Rockstar and surrounded by speculation,” said Jason Lewis.
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