Staff at the video game developer Rockstar Games, the company behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, began a ballot on Thursday, November 12, to determine whether to formally recognize a union. The vote, organized by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), involves approximately 1,600 UK-based employees who will decide if the Rockstar Game Workers Union will be granted a formal recognition agreement.
This ballot follows four months of discussions between union officials, management, and staff. The voting period coincides with the scheduled release of the company's latest title, Grand Theft Auto VI, on November 19. The union noted that a successful vote would establish the largest recognized union within the United Kingdom's video game industry.
The drive for recognition occurs amid an ongoing employment tribunal in Glasgow involving 23 former Rockstar employees who were dismissed in October 2025. These workers, represented by the IWGB, allege they were unfairly dismissed for participating in trade union activities. Senior Rockstar figures testifying at the tribunal have disputed these claims, stating the dismissals followed the discovery of disparaging comments on a Discord server.
The scale of the company's operations is highlighted by the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is expected to be the largest launch in video game history. Pre-orders for the game are estimated to have already generated hundreds of millions of dollars. The establishment of a union at a company of this financial size could influence labor standards and unionization efforts across other major studios in the global gaming industry.
The immediate outcome of this ballot will be determined after voting closes on November 26. In the interim, the company is managing the logistical demands of its major game release on November 19 while simultaneously participating in the Glasgow employment tribunal. The final decision of that tribunal will establish whether the dismissals of 23 staff members in October 2025 were legally justified or constituted a violation of labor rights regarding union activities. Raising the visibility of these labor disputes, animation programmer and union representative Nestor Uriate stated that workers seek a meaningful say over their conditions to ensure they can work in an environment where they feel secure about their futures.