Rockstar Games

Track-record badges

What stands out, worst first

Track record

What's on the record, newest first

1. 30 October 2025Labour

   Fired 31 staff; union alleged union-busting

   Rockstar fired 31 staff, saying they had leaked confidential information about its next game in a Discord server. The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which ran the server, said the dismissals were union-busting and brought tribunal claims; Rockstar said the firings were for gross misconduct 'and for no other reason'. In January 2026 the Glasgow Employment Tribunal refused interim relief, saying it could not conclude the dismissals were likely to be found mainly due to union membership; the claims were still pending in October 2026, with the full hearing under way and no final ruling, and UK staff were due to vote on union recognition from 12 to 26 November 2026.

   GamesIndustry.biz
2. October 2021Game preservation

   Removed original GTA trilogy from digital stores ahead of remasters

   When announcing Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition, Rockstar confirmed it would remove the original versions of GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas from digital stores on PC and consoles. After criticism of the remasters, Rockstar brought back the original PC versions and in December 2021 said it had given them free to everyone who bought the Trilogy on PC from its store.

   Eurogamer
3. 16 June 2021Game preservation

   Announced the end of GTA Online on PS3 and Xbox 360

   Rockstar said GTA Online servers for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 would close on 16 December 2021 and that Shark Cards for those versions could be bought until 15 September. It offered no refunds, and digital currency, virtual items and character progress could not be moved to another platform. Grand Theft Auto V's story mode was unaffected. Multiplayer for Max Payne 3 on the same consoles also ended.

   Engadget
4. 23 October 2018Labour

   Reports described heavy overtime on Red Dead Redemption 2

   After co-founder Dan Houser told an interviewer the team had worked '100-hour weeks', Rockstar said this referred to four senior writers for three weeks. A Kotaku investigation based on 77 current and former staff reported widespread pressure to work nights and weekends, with many describing 55- to 60-hour weeks and testers at Rockstar Lincoln describing overtime as mandatory since August 2017. Rockstar said overtime was never mandatory, gave average weekly hours of 42.4 to 45.8 for 2018, and told Lincoln staff on 19 October 2018 that overtime was not mandatory.

   Kotaku
5. 8 June 2006Regulator action

   Settled US FTC charges over undisclosed 'Hot Coffee' sex content

   The US Federal Trade Commission charged that Take-Two and Rockstar Games broke the FTC Act by advertising Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas with its 'M' rating without disclosing that the game discs held unused but potentially viewable nudity and a sex mini-game, which a third-party modification called 'Hot Coffee' unlocked. Under the settlement the FTC imposed no fine, but ordered the companies to set up a review system so the ratings board is told about all content on a disc, with penalties of $11,000 per future violation. Take-Two had already spent $24.5 million on the recall and relabelling.

   Ars Technica

Settlements are often made without an admission of wrongdoing; we say so where it matters. Follow each source for the full detail.

Games in the guide

What Rockstar Games made or published

• GTA
  Grand Theft Auto V2013 · Developer and publisherHarmful

Each game's money rating is its own: it comes from how that game makes money, not from the company's record.

Last checked 2 November 2026. Sources: arstechnica.com, kotaku.com, www.theverge.com, www.eurogamer.net, www.gamesradar.com, www.theverge.com, www.gamesindustry.biz, kotaku.com, kotaku.com, kotaku.com, www.sec.gov, engadget.com. Spotted something wrong or missing? Send a correction.