Rockstar Games is likely to break every commercial record under the sun when Grand Theft Auto 6 releases in November, but with a slew of recent allegations against the studio, one has to question the human cost of creating a game like GTA 6.
Rockstar is already embroiled in controversy regarding the firing of 31 workers who were attempting to unionise last year. Now, a new interview with Game Developer has exposed some of the explicit anti-worker practices in place at Rockstar.
Three members of the newly formed Rockstar Game Workers Union (RWGU) spoke to the publication anonymously out of fear of reprisals if they came forward publicly.
According to the workers, Rockstar's pay structure is heavily reliant on bonuses that can change at the whim of a superior. This inconsistent approach to compensation allows the studio to pressure people into crunching, because failure to 'play ball' could result in a significantly degraded bonus.
"The main problem is that [bonuses and progression are] all completely discretionary for the company, and they are under no obligation to show their working," one employee explained. "Employees want good pay, and if literally anything they do that year could affect it, they will...
