Unionized workers at Rockstar have accused the company of failing the staff working for it on titles such as Grand Theft Auto 6.
Three members of the Rockstar Game Workers Union have listed a string of complaints about their employer to Game Developer, including lack of transparency around pay and bonuses, a widening gender pay gap and mandatory crunch.
According to the staff, who requested anonymity, a considerable portion of most employees’ pay comes in the form of bonuses, but Rockstar is often inconsistent with how much and why these bonuses are paid.
“When the bonus is particularly good, it can be a windfall, but often the bonus is disappointing and one can end up being paid considerably less than expected for the year,” one staff member explained.
“The reasoning given for this is often nebulous, inconsistent between departments, even inconsistent between team members within the same department, and sometimes hinges on completely subjective or retroactive criticisms.”
They also claimed that because bonuses are “all completely discretionary for the company”, staff feel they have to always be ready to be “as pliable as possible to their boss’s whims” in order to keep them happy and ensure their bonus.
“Imagine [how you might feel if] a fifth of your salary could be withheld without any justification or based on a single surprise factor,” they said.
Staff also told the publication that initiatives had been put in place to address the imbalance in median pay between staff of different genders, but that those initiatives were then scrapped as the gap has actually widened instead.
Another complaint aimed at the company is an attempt to build crunch into workers’ contracts.
In the UK, Working Time Regulations are an employment right that stop employers asking their staff from doing more than a certain number of extra hours per week. Workers can voluntarily opt out of this if they want to extra work, but it’s claimed that Rockstar builds an ‘opt out’ into staff contracts, meaning they instead have to opt back into the regulation to avoid crunch.
“Part of the problem with crunch is that there is not an agreed definition, and now it seems the company thinks that offering specific and limited compensation as an incentive for overtime means it no longer qualifies as crunch,” they added.
In a statement made to the publication, a Take-Two spokesperson said: “We strive to make the best games possible by giving our talented teams world-class work environments and ongoing career opportunities. We have fostered a culture which is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness, and where we support and reward the team across all levels of the business through competitive compensation and benefits policies.
“We are proud that as a result, our employee retention is well above the industry standard. We have received a request from a union seeking to discuss voluntary recognition. We value an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and will arrange to meet.”
