Rockstar Games employees have officially formed the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU), operating as a subsidiary of the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB). The union announced its formation on May 28, 2026 through a video posted to Bluesky and YouTube, and it represents staff across all five of Rockstar's UK offices: Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Lincoln, and Dundee. It is the first union in Rockstar's history. The RGWU's stated platform centres on three demands: pay transparency, flexible working, and an end to crunch.
Why the Launch Was Delayed
According to the union, it had first crossed the 10% membership threshold needed to launch publicly last year. Before it could go public, Rockstar dismissed more than 30 employees across the UK and Canada for what the company described as "distributing confidential information in a public forum," later identified as a Discord server managed by the IWGB. All 31 of the workers fired in the UK were RGWU members, which temporarily pushed the union back below the 10% threshold and delayed its formation. The union says it crossed the threshold again shortly after the dismissals and has continued to grow since, stating it is now "larger and stronger than we have ever been."
The RGWU described the firings as "the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting the UK games sector has ever seen," adding that they sparked protests in multiple countries, drew international media attention, and triggered a legal battle now heading toward a final hearing later this year.
Rockstar's Position
Rockstar has maintained that the dismissals were unrelated to union activity. The company previously stated it "took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies," and said this "was in no way related to people's right to join a union or engage in union activities." Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, declined to comment on the union's formation.
The Legal Battle
Earlier this year, the IWGB filed formal legal claims on behalf of the affected employees, alleging unfair dismissal linked to trade union activity. A UK employment tribunal held a preliminary hearing in January 2026, where a judge denied interim relief for the dismissed workers, a decision Rockstar said was consistent with its position throughout. The case is now proceeding toward a full tribunal hearing expected later this year. In recent months, Scottish MPs have accused Rockstar of "stonewalling" the proceedings by failing to cooperate with disclosure requests and denying the fired workers a right to appeal.
The unionization wave that is happening in the gaming industry is related to many issues. It is a complex problem, the layoffs are the no.1 culprit and also the arrival of AI fully into our lives. There are other issues such as long work hours within the industry. I expect more and more studious unionize in the future.
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