I wasn't sure where to post this but I posted this topic in Games and Tech seeing as it's about Rockstar and how this impacts GTA VI's development.
So for those who haven't catched up on the news stories from social media recently, Rockstar ended up firing approx 40 people because of unionization efforts by some employees, many of whom were veterans who had been working at Rockstar for over a decade.
It's maddening to me that the games industry continues to shoot itself in the foot like this. The fact that Rockstar only just now announced the GTA VI delay should draw some serious suspicion. I'm convinced that Rockstar wanted to hide this union busting news into the ground, so they announced the game's delay in hopes that people would switch focus and talk about that instead.
I have donated a tiny bit towards the fundraiser that's linked in the GTA Forums post and I urge everyone to do the same if you have the means to do so. If not, spreading the word helps.
Yeah, the letters were right after RDR got released, weren’t they? Those poor women mentioned some of them had babies that didn’t see their fathers for a long time…
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It's really shameful and unfortunate. It's never something that's acceptable, but like, we're talking about the most profitable piece of media in history and still you have corporate heads making an effort to erode the rights of the people who actually make it possible for the thing to exist in the first place. Hopefully the workers are able to negotiate to reinstate people's jobs as well as ensuring everyone involved in its development get their dues (credits, bonuses, the whole package).
Though this isn't a technical topic, it's one I'm keenly interested in, since I've closely tracked efforts by contract and full-time game studio employees alike to unionise in my home country and abroad.
There's a lot with this story in particular we cannot yet confirm as stories begin to trickle out (though my email is open for any affected devs who might wish to speak about their experiences on background). Even if the dev has been confirmed by forum moderators as legit, that account is posted without verification of some of its details, which is to say, we can only surmise so much from it, compelling and truthful as it may be.
From the sound of public comments on both sides thus far, this conflict sure sounds like it may lead to court proceedings and/or discovery, at which point, they-said-they-said becomes a bit moot in favor of hard data and documents. (Especially if Discord itself is subpoenaed to provide relevant logs, which they might, at this point.)
The most paramount thing that I consider at this point is that once a "bargaining unit" (ie staffers with a common industry, boss or other professional affiliation) is established, their union representatives are incentivised to keep their units' efforts on the up-and-up. Meaning, they insist on unit members obeying a certain decorum in terms of how and where they might communicate about their organising efforts. Which runs headlong into Rockstar's most recent public accusations. So I'm very curious to see how this all plays out, because whatever precedent it may rely on or set will absolutely affect game development practices going forward, which, in a narrow way, is part of the state-of-the-art that DF cares about.
This is "Home / DF Forums / Games and Tech /" and there are a squillion websites and forums to discuss this kind of thing.
I was pleased to see the launch of DigitalFoundry.Net and the Forums to stay on topic and be focused on the elements of games and gaming that I'm interested in — to avoid this kinds of stuff that is covered and discussed on so many other sites, social media, forums, etc.
> it's one I'm keenly interested in
Yes, apparently so; as is @GreenSwede who started this off-topic thread.
But could you please move this thread to "General Discussion" @samred
I know I'm speaking from a very narrow perspective, but I was actually planning to try GTA VI as my first venture in the series. Hearing Rockstar has decided to fire workers who are attempting to organize their workplace gives me puase though.
It's maddening to me that the games industry continues to shoot itself in the foot like this. The fact that Rockstar only just now announced the GTA VI delay should draw some serious suspicion. I'm convinced that Rockstar wanted to hide this union busting news into the ground, so they announced the game's delay in hopes that people would switch focus and talk about that instead.
If it was anyone but Rockstar, I'd be fully on board with this. But this is the studio that boasted about temperature-dependent equine testicle size for the (IMO unnecessary) level of detail they ask for and the time it takes. It may actually be a fortunate coincidence that they announced the delay for financial reasons and it happened to detract from this issue.
However, the key message remains - this is union-busting in all but name. I hope the affected employees are able to see this through; Rockstar are definitely not short of money to make things even more difficult.
I know I'm speaking from a very narrow perspective, but I was actually planning to try GTA VI as my first venture in the series. Hearing Rockstar has decided to fire workers who are attempting to organize their workplace gives me puase though.
Likewise. I might as well sell my Series X given how I have little to no use for it anyways. The only reason I insisted on keeping it was because of GTA VI, but now I don't really care.
Good to see this is gaining traction and their colleagues and standing up for them. Unfortunately the UK government will give lip service and Rockstar will likely ride it out.
Hopefully we won't hear about 200 more Rockstar staff being fired for gross misconduct in the near future.
.....and there are a squillion websites and forums to discuss this kind of thing.
I was pleased to see the launch of DigitalFoundry.Net and the Forums to stay on topic and be focused on the elements of games and gaming that I'm interested in — to avoid this kinds of stuff that is covered and discussed on so many other sites, social media, forums, etc.
Agreed. It's ultimately up to DF and the mods the decide what they want to allow, and where, obviously. But in case it matters, I'll throw my vote in that this certainly doesn't belong on this subforum (with General being the obvious better option), and I'd even go a step further and say I'd prefer it not to be on the forum at all, as it's squarely in the politics realm as far as I'm concerned, and just happens to involve a game company.
But again, at the end of the day, it's obviously not up to me. Just my 2 cents.
@samred I think it would be worthwhile to introduce a dedicated "General Gaming Industry" topic. Given the ongoing wave of studio layoffs, questionable management practices, mergers and acquisitions, and rising game prices, there's clearly a growing interest in discussing these broader industry trends. This category would be distinct from gaming tech, focusing instead on the business, labor, and economic aspects of the industry. It could serve as a space for thoughtful conversation around the forces shaping the games we play and the people who make them.
You are aware that this is Digital Foundry website?
"Games and Tech" for the Games and Tech forums.
Politics and HR matters in the "not games" and/or "not tech" forums.
I'm not saying you shouldn't talk about those things, just talk about them somewhere appropriate where those of us who don't want to don't have to, and those who want to can do that to their hearts content.
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Topic: Thoughts on Rockstar firing 40 ppl due to unionization efforts?
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