Rockstar Workers Union Calls First Management Meeting "A Step in the Right Direction"

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The Rockstar Games Workers Union has had its first meeting with Rockstar management after seeking recognition, confirming that "it was a step in the right direction."

Last month, it was revealed that Rockstar developers in the UK were seeking official union recognition – something which would give the union the right to negotiate with employers at GTA 6 developer Rockstar on behalf of its members regarding things like employment conditions. Rockstar agreed to meet with the union reps , and now, the union has shared an update on Twitter.

"We had our first meeting with Rockstar management!" a new post from the Rockstar Games Workers Union states, confirming that, as it stands, Rockstar has requested negotiations before agreeing to the union's voluntary recognition.

As for how things went, the RSGWU says: "It was a step in the right direction. We were able to make the case that workers' voices need to be heard and that we can collaborate to achieve this." Crucially, it adds, "we managed to secure a roadmap for a speedy negotiation process."

Next, the union says, "we will now look to agree on the 'bargaining unit' – the list of workers that the union can represent."

Although the union is seeking voluntary recognition, that isn't its only option. "If negotiations over a voluntary recognition agreement hit a wall, we will pursue statutory recognition, which legally obliges an employer to recognise a union once it represents a significant proportion of the workforce," it explains. And, although it doesn't share numbers, it sounds like the RSGWU is pretty big. In fact, it's "already the biggest game studio union in Europe."

This is what we stand for, join our movement! pic.twitter.com/DTJgPOFwkk July 22, 2026

With that said, there are benefits of voluntary recognition – as the RSGWU writes, it'd mean "anything can be written into the agreement document."

In this case, the union wants "no crunch" – ensuring that overtime is "always paid" and aiming for "a stronger process" to avoid crunching in the first place – as well as pay transparency, flexible working options, "a commitment to no layoffs," and to make it so no one's job can be "replaced with AI."

Crunch is a big part of this for the devs. One anonymous dev who recently spoke about the goals of the union alleged that "crunch is prevalent enough that the company built into our contracts , as standard, an opt-out of the Working Time Regulations."

For now, it seems we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out. Last year, Rockstar Games was accused of union busting after over 30 employees – who were allegedly either current union members or planning to organize one – were fired. Rockstar claimed at the time that "we 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. This was in no way related to people's right to join a union or engage in union activities."

"There is a magic to what Rockstar does," former GTA 5 dev says ahead of GTA 6, "I just wish they could do it at a lower human cost."