Rockstar Games accused of crunch, gender pay gap, and weaponizing bonuses

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Rockstar Games has been accused of enabling crunch conditions through employee contracts

Union members say there is a lack of transparency around pay and bonuses at the Grand Theft 6 studio

The union accuses the studio of scrapping initiatives aimed at addressing gender-based pay inequity

Grand Theft Auto 6 studio and industry giant Rockstar Games has been accused of unfair working conditions that include enabling crunch culture, failing to address gender-based pay inequity, and weaponizing bonuses.

Three members of the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU) spoke to Game Developer in a huge interview - though they wished to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals - and claimed that the studio attempts to normalize crunch.

"Crunch is prevalent enough that the company built into our contracts, as standard, an opt out of the Working Time Regulations that stops your employer being able to ask you to do more than about 10 hours extra each week," one source explained, referring to the UK protection that can be voluntarily relinquished by employees.

"The union successfully ran a campaign to inform people they could opt back in to the regulations at any time, which resulted in Rockstar management simplifying the process and removing the obligation to meet with HR," the source added.

"Part of the problem with crunch is that there is not an agreed definition, and now it seems the company thinks that offering specific and limited compensation as an incentive for overtime means it no longer qualifies as crunch."

While some teams at Rockstar never crunch, it's claimed that there are also departments that "seem to never get out of it — and often colleagues do not realize the opposite group exists."

The interview also includes claims that workers were forced to return to the office and relinquish hybrid or remote work benefits, a mandate which allegedly didn't apply to company leaders, and there is a lack of transparency around pay and bonuses.

A "considerable portion" of most employees' compensation packages comes in the form of bonuses that fluctuate, often without obvious justification. It's claimed that the compensation workers receive falls below the market rate when compared to adjacent industry work, with one source saying, "When the bonus is particularly good, it can be a windfall, but often the bonus is disappointing and one can end up being paid considerably less than expected for the year.

"The reasoning given for this is often nebulous, inconsistent between departments, even inconsistent between team members within the same department, and sometimes hinges on completely subjective or retroactive criticisms."

It's said promotions are also hard to secure at the studio because Rockstar regularly shifts the goalposts when career progression is discussed.

"The main problem is that [bonuses and progression are] all completely discretionary for the company, and they are under no obligation to show their working," the source added. "Employees want good pay, and if literally anything they do that year could affect it, they will naturally feel they have to be as pliable as possible to their boss's whims. Imagine [how you might feel if] a fifth of your salary could be withheld without any justification or based on a single surprise factor."

Gender-based pay inequity is another issue that the union members discussed, informing Game Developer that the gap between median wages for different genders has widened at Rockstar and that initiatives aimed to address that imbalance have been scrapped.

Union workers say all these issues have created a sense of imbalance and injustice at the studio and feel that employees are not adequately compensated for GTA 6 , which is set to be the biggest game launch of all time.

A Take-Two Interactive spokesperson provided a statement to Game Developer in response to the claims. It reads: "We strive to make the best games possible by giving our talented teams world-class work environments and ongoing career opportunities. We have fostered a culture which is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness, and where we support and reward the team across all levels of the business through competitive compensation and benefits policies.

"We are proud that as a result, our employee retention is well above the industry standard. We have received a request from a union seeking to discuss voluntary recognition. We value an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and will arrange to meet."