Rockstar employees have officially launched the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RSGWU) with backing from the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain, demanding formal recognition ahead of Grand Theft Auto VI's launch. The union formation comes after 31 workers were dismissed in 2025 amid allegations of retaliation against organizing efforts.

Parent company Take-Two maintains the firings resulted from confidentiality violations, claiming workers shared GTA VI information publicly. However, IWGB president Alex Marshall contends all dismissed employees were in union talks, suggesting the layoffs targeted organizers rather than addressed legitimate security concerns.

The move reflects broader industry turmoil, with massive layoffs hitting studios like Bungie, Xbox Game Studios, and Ubisoft amid rising development costs. Marshall points to GTA VI's $3 billion in pre-order sales as evidence Rockstar can afford to negotiate in good faith with its workforce.

Rockstar reportedly spent $3 billion on salaries for GTA VI alone, making this union recognition fight particularly significant given the game's commercial stakes. The RSGWU aims to prevent typical post-launch layoffs that routinely devastate development teams after major releases.