Union urges GTA 6 maker Rockstar to address working conditions

Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be one of the most successful game launches of all time

A union has called on Grand Theft Auto 6 maker Rockstar Games to address issues around working conditions for developers.

The blockbuster video game, due to be released in November, is expected to be one of the most successful of all time.

The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) Video Game Workers Union called for official recognition from Rockstar, saying it wanted to address pay transparency, flexible working arrangements and overtime expectations.

Some of its members have brought legal action against the company, claiming they were illegally sacked last October for union activity. Rockstar has strenuously denied this and accused them of committing gross misconduct.

The IWGB says members at Edinburgh-based Rockstar, which also has UK studios in Dundee, Lincoln, Leeds and London, began organising in 2019 and claimed there had been improvements in working conditions since then.

It said there had been "unprecedented" average pay rises and financial incentives offered for "crunch" - a video game industry term for excessive, sometimes unpaid, overtime in the lead-up to a game's release.

Articles published around the time of Rockstar's last big game, Red Dead Redemption 2, suggested the practice was widespread within the company, external, although it rejected claims it was enforced.

More recent reports from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, external said the company has tried to avoid excessive overtime on GTA 6.

The union said official recognition would allow it to open formal channels to discuss issues such as crunch, pay transparency and flexible working with Rockstar's management.

UK workers are able to join a union without formal recognition, but being part of an official union grants them extra rights and protections, the IWGB said.

Currently, the only UK studio with a recognised union is ZA/UM, the developer of RPG Disco Elysium.

Workers claim they were sacked for trying to form a union - something Rockstar strongly rejects

The IWGB has also launched legal action against Rockstar over the sacking of 31 workers last year.

It claims the group was illegally dismissed for trade union activity, and accused the company of trying to deter staff from becoming members.

Rockstar has strenuously denied this claim, and said the staff were sacked for gross misconduct for sharing confidential information in a public group on chat app Discord.

The case is due to be heard at a tribunal in September.

GTA 6 - all you need to know about Rockstar's blockbuster game

One of the ex-Rockstar workers involved in the tribunal, Jack Hoxby, told BBC Newsbeat the approaching court date was "nerve-racking".

"People keep saying it's David and Goliath because that really is just the best way to describe it," he said.

"I do think the strength of our case and the fact that we've been very firm in our story throughout does speak volumes and hopefully will speak for itself."

Hoxby said the hype around GTA 6's recent pre-order campaign had been "bittersweet" for him as someone who had worked on the game.

He said he still has friends at the company and backs their efforts to form an officially recognised union.

"I don't want them to not be supported, if that makes sense," he said.

BBC Newsbeat has asked Rockstar for a response to claims about pay transparency, flexible working and crunch.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

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