Rockstar UK union could cover more than 1,600 workers, IWGB says

The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union says a Rockstar Games union in the UK would have a bargaining unit of more than 1,600 workers if staff vote to recognize it. The IWGB told Game File the figure amounts to nearly everyone at Rockstar’s UK studios below director level. ¹²

The vote runs from November 12 to November 26. GTA 6 launches on consoles on November 19, which puts the middle of the voting window on release day. ³⁴

The IWGB says that size would make it “the biggest recognised union in the UK games sector.” ² The closest comparison Game File offers is the Microsoft-owned Blizzard union in the United States, which the Communication Workers of America puts at around 1,900 members. ²

The unit would not cover Rockstar’s whole workforce. Staff at studios in the US and India are outside it. Bloomberg has put Rockstar’s total headcount at over 4,700 people across 12 locations. ¹²

What the vote would cover

The IWGB says the terms of the recognition deal were agreed by workers and management. If the vote succeeds, workers would have a say on pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working arrangements and generative AI policies. ²³

Rockstar Head of Publishing Jennifer Kolbe has told Bloomberg: “So if they want a union, they will have a union.” ³

Rockstar North production co-ordinator and union committee member Shanti Easton-Steel said the vote is about openness over decisions that affect staff. She named the gender pay gap, overtime pay policies and job security after release as concerns among co-workers. ¹³

The dispute running alongside

The vote overlaps with a separate fight. Last year Rockstar fired 34 workers, mostly UK-based, over what it called distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum. The forum was a Discord server run by union organizers. ¹⁵

The IWGB has accused Rockstar of union busting. Rockstar and parent company Take-Two have said the dismissals were for gross misconduct and unrelated to anyone’s right to join a union. ⁵ The employment tribunal in Scotland is set to hear closing submissions on November 17 and 18, which falls inside the voting window. ³ Game File reports the hearings are due to conclude next month. ²

The 1,600 figure is the union’s own, given to Game File when asked to quantify its claim. Rockstar has not been quoted on the size of the unit.

The outlook is a two-week voting window, one game launch and a tribunal that wraps up in the middle of it.

Our read: The number matters more than the date. A bargaining unit of 1,600 would give a union real weight in talks over overtime and job security just as the studio’s biggest game ships. With both sides saying the recognition terms were agreed, the vote looks less like a contest than a headcount of who turns out.

Footnotes

1. Rock Paper Shotgun, “Rockstar developer union could end up over 1,600 workers strong and encompass nearly all UK staff below senior management, IWGB claim”. Retrieved October 30, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Game File, “Rockstar Games’ union could top 1,600 workers”. Retrieved October 30, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

3. IGN, “Rockstar Staff Set for Union Vote at the Same Time GTA 6 Comes Out”. Retrieved October 30, 2026. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. The Verge, “Rockstar workers will vote on union recognition right around GTA VI’s launch.”. Retrieved October 30, 2026. ↩

5. GamesIndustry.biz, “Rockstar vs. the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain: a timeline of events so far”. Retrieved October 30, 2026. ↩ ↩²