Crunch, the wage gap, and the union: the labor controversy plaguing GTA VI

Months before the launch, a union is accusing Rockstar of crunch, a gender pay gap, and arbitrary bonuses, while fighting for recognition. Take-Two denies the allegations. We’ve separated the proven facts from the allegations.

The biggest scandal of the year just keeps getting bigger... and along the way, it has exposed a less glamorous side. With GTA VI just a few months away, Rockstar is in the eye of the storm over its working conditions. Let’s separate what has been proven from what are merely allegations, because there’s a lawsuit involved here and it’s best to be careful.

What the Union Is Alleging

The Rockstar Game Workers Union (organized in partnership with the British union IWGB) filed a request in late June 2026 for Rockstar to recognize the union and negotiate terms. Three anonymous workers have added serious allegations: that the gender pay gap has widened, that crunch is normalized through a clause waiving the 48-hour weekly limit, and that bonuses are discretionary and inconsistent across teams.

Note: this is what the union alleges, not a court ruling. Take-Two responds that it offers “competitive compensation,” that its employee retention rate “exceeds the industry average,” and that it is open to discussing union recognition.

The Former Employee Who Doesn’t Plan to Buy It

In 2025, Rockstar fired more than 30 employees. The company says they leaked confidential information about GTA VI on a public forum; the union calls it a “witch hunt.” One of them, Jack Hoxby, who had worked on the game, says he won’t buy GTA VI: playing it “would probably bring back too many memories.” The case is going to trial, with the main hearing set to begin on September 10, 2026.

Our verdict: credible, but with caveats. It’s being covered by reputable media outlets (Game Developer, PC Gamer, Kotaku), and a court is involved. However, the figures regarding the pay gap and crunch are based on anonymous sources and are in dispute: they are allegations, not proven facts. We’re reporting this because it’s part of the story of GTA VI, not to point fingers at anyone.