GTA 6 Developers Express Discontent with Rockstar’s Return-to-Office Mandate
Recently, Rockstar Games, the developer of Grand Theft Auto 6, announced that employees would be required to return to the office full-time, abandoning remote work. This decision has not been well-received by some GTA 6 developers, who are voicing concerns about a potential return to the toxic work environment associated with past Rockstar projects like Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V.
GTA 6 Devs Accuse Rockstar of Breaking Promises
Despite previous assurances that a transition to a hybrid office-home work model was not a step towards a full return to the office, Rockstar’s recent mandate has left GTA 6 developers feeling betrayed. An anonymous employee shared with VGC that the remote work option provided essential flexibility for managing personal responsibilities and needs, which is now being taken away without consideration for the employees most affected. There is apprehension that this move could signal a resurgence of the infamous ‘crunch’ practices at Rockstar.
Rockstar is snatching away that lifeline without a second thought for the workers who’ll be impacted most. After so many broken promises we now fear management may even be paving the way for a return to toxic ‘crunch’ practices. Senior leadership need to rethink their reckless decision making and engage with their staff to find an arrangement that works for everyone.
Rockstar has a history of facing criticism for its demanding work practices, including long work hours, mandatory overtime, and a high-pressure environment. Reports suggested that GTA 6 had been delayed to avoid subjecting employees to such conditions.
One employee raised concerns about the potential requirement to work late hours in the office to align with global teams, instead of attending meetings remotely. The IWGB Game Workers Union also released a statement condemning Rockstar’s actions and advocating for better working conditions and transparency within the industry.
The workers in the IWGB Game Workers Union at Rockstar are pushing for transparency over pay and promotions, a healthy and inclusive workplace culture, and work-life balance centred around what each worker needs. It is unacceptable that Rockstar leadership have gone back on their word time and time again and have ignored the workers’ requests for basic working conditions. Workers across the industry are done with letting executives make reckless and harmful decisions and the Rockstar workers are showing us the start of what’s to come if they’re continually ignored. There’s no better time than now to join our union and push for this to be the healthy and sustainable games industry we know it can be.
IWGB Game Workers Union chairman Austin Kelmore
Rockstar Games has not provided a comment on the situation at this time.