Members of the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU) have accused Rockstar Games of a number of problems, including failing to address pay inequity, forcing employees through periods of crunch, and even withholding bonus payments from employees in a bid to weaponize the payments. Speaking to Game Developer, three members of the union, on the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals, also spoke about the lack of transparency surrounding the company’s pay structure and bonuses.
These bonuses have been noted as fluctuating quite wildly, with Rockstar Games offering no justification for the matter. “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,” said one of the union members. “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.”
Career progression has also been called a difficult proposition at the studio, with it being accused of moving the goalposts whenever the subject comes up.
“The main problem is that [bonuses and progression are] all completely discretionary for the company, and they are under no obligation to show their working,” they continued. “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.”
This, in turn, has seemingly led to a company-wide feeling of imbalance, note the RGWU members, since there are some employees making “hundreds of millions of pounds, there are those receiving excellent pay for their work and are grateful, and there are certainly those that are woefully underpaid for their effort and the incredible profits gained.”
On the subject of crunch, the union members said that the practice is quite prevalent at Rockstar Games, with an “opt-out” of the UK’s Working Time Regulations being written directly into employment contracts. The regulation would stop an employer from asking an employee to do more than 10 extra hours of work per week. The union has seen some success on this matter with a campaign to inform employees that they could opt back into the regulations at any time.
“Part of the problem with crunch is that there is not an agreed definition, and now it seems the company thinks that offering specific and limited compensation as an incentive for overtime means it no longer qualifies as crunch,” they said.
Employees at Rockstar Games have also requested that the company officially recognize the union, which would give workers more rights and collective bargaining ability while also forcing more accountability on Rockstar Games’ leadership. Despite these current issues, the RGWU members have noted that they will still have to work with the company to ensure that the workers are taken care of in the right way.
“For us workers, we have no say in who our superiors are. We must try to work with them regardless and hope that they are more interested in engaging with their employees to build some mutual trust moving forward,” they said.
In the meantime, Rockstar Games is currently working on Grand Theft Auto 6 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, which is slated for release on November 19th.
