Rockstar union members allege crunch and pay gap; Take-Two says it "will arrange to meet"

Take-Two said it had received a request from a union seeking voluntary recognition and "will arrange to meet," in a statement reported on July 1, 2026, alongside allegations about pay and crunch that three Rockstar Game Workers Union members made to Game Developer. GamesRadar+ and VGC reported both parts on July 1.

The three staff members asked not to be named. According to VGC, they said bonuses make up a sizeable share of most employees' pay, and that the bonuses are discretionary and inconsistent between departments and even between teammates. They also said initiatives meant to narrow the median pay gap between genders were dropped, and that the gap has widened.

On crunch, they said Rockstar writes an opt-out from the UK Working Time Regulations into its contracts, so staff have to opt back in to keep the weekly limit. One also said the company now treats limited, specific pay for overtime as meaning the work no longer counts as crunch. VGC noted that the staff quoted were not among the workers Rockstar fired the previous year.

In the statement, a Take-Two spokesperson said the company gives its teams "world-class work environments" and that its employee retention is "well above the industry standard." The statement did not answer the claims one by one. VGC said it was given to Game Developer, while GamesRadar+ said it was sent to IGN. GamesRadar+ also quoted the union's stated aims of pay transparency, fairer crunch practices and better flexible working.

These are allegations from union members, and Take-Two did not accept them. Recognition had not been granted, and the statement gave no date for a meeting.

Since then, the union says its members have been meeting Rockstar management since July, and Rockstar's UK staff are voting on union recognition from November 12 to 26.