Grand Theft Auto 6 devs hit out at Rockstar’s ‘reckless’ return-to-office mandate
Plenty of Rockstar Games builders have criticised the corporate for telling staff they need to return to the workplace full-time in April.
Earlier this week, Rockstar knowledgeable workers of plans to finish its hybrid working coverage for productiveness and safety causes.
The transfer follows a variety of high-profile Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks, and Rockstar head of publishing Jenn Kolbe mentioned the corporate discovered there are “tangible benefits” from in-person work, Bloomberg reported.
The choice has been closely criticised by the Independent Workers’ union of Great Britain (IWGB) and a variety of its members who’re Rockstar staff.
They say the plan to withdraw distant working provisions for almost all of workers on April 15 represents the most recent in a collection of damaged guarantees, and that it may result in the return of unhealthy working practices at the corporate.
Last yr, unionised Rockstar staff submitted a petition with 175 signatures, calling for continued distant work choices in response to a compulsory transition to a three-day workplace week.
At the time, Rockstar reportedly said in an employee-wide electronic mail: “This isn’t our first step to 5 days a week. No one wants to go back to the old way of working.”
An nameless worker mentioned: “Working from dwelling has been a lifeline for many people at Rockstar, permitting us to stability care obligations, handle disabilities, and relocate as we’d like. Now, Rockstar is snatching away that lifeline and not using a second thought for the employees who’ll be impacted most.
“After so many damaged guarantees we now concern administration could even be paving the way in which for a return to poisonous ‘crunch’ practices. Senior management have to rethink their reckless choice making and have interaction with their workers to search out an association that works for everybody.”
Another Rockstar worker mentioned: “As usual, there has been zero consultation with us: the people who these policy changes most affect. Just one of my concerns is being forced to work late hours in the office to maintain contact with global teams when before we could log on from home to attend late meetings. This will mean missing out on spending time with our families. I am also aware of colleagues who have health issues preventing full time office work who are now left in limbo.”
Speaking on behalf of their colleagues, one other employee mentioned: “We the staff care greatly about the games we make and our passion, skill, and talent should never be taken for granted by studio management. It is together, through collaboration and a healthy work life balance and workplace culture that we continue making some of the most beloved and spectacular games in our industry.”
In current years, Rockstar has reportedly made progress in mitigating its as soon as notorious crunch tradition, which noticed workers anticipated to work extra time at nights and weekends to maintain initiatives on schedule. The first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer was launched in December, confirming a deliberate 2025 launch date.
“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,” mentioned IWGB recreation staff chair Austin Kelmore. “It is unacceptable that Rockstar management have gone again on their phrase time and time once more and have ignored the employees’ requests for primary working situations.
“Workers throughout the trade are performed with letting executives make reckless and dangerous selections and the Rockstar staff are exhibiting us the beginning of what’s to come back in the event that they’re frequently ignored. There’s no higher time than now to hitch our union and push for this to be the wholesome and sustainable video games trade we all know it may be.”
