"Imagine [how you might feel if] a fifth of your salary could be withheld."

Image credit: Eurogamer

As Rockstar employees move to pursue official union recognition following a series of high-profile sackings in 2025, new allegations are emerging related to Rockstar's treatment of its staff. In a new report published by Game Developer, multiple Rockstar developers have accused the company of failing to address gender-based pay inequity, actively pursuing and facilitating crunch culture in its United Kingdom-based offices, and weaponising bonus payments against employees.

In a massive interview over at Game Developer, three members of the Rockstar Game Workers Union revealed various details about how the company allegedly treats its employees. The participants in the interview, who have each chosen to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, suggest that Rockstar is systematically failing the staff working on the year's most hyped and anticipated video game release: GTA 6.

Firstly, the staff believe bonuses are being used as a means to control and manipulate staff: "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," reported one employee. "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."

Another source said: "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."

Secondly, staff report the gap between median wages for different genders has widened at Rockstar in recent years (typically, in the UK, the gender pay gap is trending towards being narrower - though there's still plenty of room for improvement across the board).

Finally, the staff interviewed by the site all alledge that crunch culture is alive and well at the studio - and to such a degree that overtime practices are baked into staff contracts. This, of course, is not the first time we've heard such accustations against Rockstar. "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," explained one of the interviewees. Paired with an enforced office work mandate and unfulfilled promises regarding remote work (a point of contention for union members), there's a distinct feeling amongst workers that Rockstar is taking advantage of its staff.

It is worth noting that each of the interviewees in the Game Developer piece are not part of the cohort of staff fired by Rockstar in 2025 as part of an alleged 'union-busting' effort, but are union members currently seeking voluntary recognition by Rockstar.

As unionisation efforts continue, it appears Rockstar staff are benefitting from the public attention and support the movement has garnered since the 2025 sackings. "Since October, there have been unprecedented average wage increases in represented studios, for the first time ever there is actually some financial incentive for crunch, and several other policies are changing after years of frustration," one source told Game Developer. "The timing is not coincidental - organising works."

Take-Two offered a statement to Game Developer regarding the statements of the staff. "We have received a request from a union seeking to discuss voluntary recognition," read an excerpt. "We value an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and will arrange to meet." The full story over on Game Developer is well worth reading, and provides more context to these points.

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