GTA 6 developers make fresh claims against Rockstar

Three anonymous members of the Rockstar Game Workers Union have accused the Grand Theft Auto VI studio of normalising crunch, obscuring bonus pay, and allowing gender pay gaps to widen, according to a new Game Developer report.

The employees revealed to Game Developer that there are some Rockstar teams which do not experience crunch times, but other teams related to GTA 6 or any other project "never seem to come out of it." One of the employees noted that a Working Time Regulations opt-out exists for the UK contracts, thus allowing them to legally work extra overtime hours.

This information is similar to the 2018 investigation conducted by Jason Schreier about the Red Dead Redemption 2 development, where the co-founder of Rockstar, Dan Houser, confirmed that some teams experienced 100-hour week crunches.

According to the sources, a considerable portion of the yearly salary goes to bonuses that change each time without any clear criteria.

Some described the system as a pressure tactic rather than a genuine performance reward, leaving workers unable to estimate their total yearly pay. The employees also said gender pay gaps at the company have grown rather than narrowed over time.

The parent company of Rockstar, Take Two Interactive Software, said that they had high retention rates and a work environment based on "teamwork, excellence, and kindness".

The announcement was not an answer to any of the allegations raised but an assurance from the company that it will have an "open and constructive dialogue" with the union.

These allegations come at a time when Rockstar workers had sought voluntary recognition of their union, which is affiliated with IWGB, after the public launch in May.