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Rockstar Games Workers Union Just Had Its First Ever Meeting With Management, Demands Include "No AI," "No Layoffs," and "No Crunch" (respawnfirst.com)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/pcmasterrace@lemmy.world
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[–] 51 points 3 months ago (10 children)

It's amazing that a company that takes over a decade to make a game would even need a time crunch

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  • [–] 15 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    GTA V will be 14 years old at the time of release of VI. They have zero excuses in my book. They should’ve had everything but the technical details of VI mapped out and ready for development 12 years ago.

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  • [–] 11 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    I wonder if we can thank all the degenerates buying Shark cards for killing off GTA and Red Dead Redemption DLCs, and the long long gap between the GTA sequel due to pivoting to live service revenue.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago

    I partially agree. The other issue was how time consuming they made accruing wealth. I did races to build up the funds to do heist. Then i had some jackass tell me they wont do the missions until everyone gets an equal share. I had to tell them i get a bigger cut because i fronted the money.

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  • [–] 12 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    They're owned by shareholders. If they're not at least seen to be mistreating staff and ripping off customers, then the CEO isn't doing their job right.

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  • [–] -4 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    They're also on the S&P 500 so if they're not doing it, they're fucking us all (or our retirements) over. Though personally I moved all of my retirement monies outside of American funds (which I can do because I'm not American), a lot of funds worldwide still invest in the big American market ETFs.

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    • [–] 19 points 3 months ago

    Good, there's no damn reason any of those things should exist at Rockstar. Go union!

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    [–] 17 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Kinda feels like one of those things where they'll be forced to choose 2 of 3

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  • [–] 25 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    they're gonna get offered something more like a (one) pizza party (pizza not included), an extra pee break on the first tuesday following the second blue moon of a calendar year, and a 20 percent discount on the game they work on.

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    • [–] 57 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    GTA6 announcement: it will be delayed until 2030.

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    • [–] 24 points 3 months ago (5 children)

    Doesn't fucking matter with Playstation announcement of ending disc games I won't be buying a PS6 nor playing this game.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Yeah I'm waiting for the PC release this time as well.

    Really not liking Sony's greedy behavior and I will not be buying a PS6 either. Been there since PS1 and its like getting a divorce or something but I just think its time to move on now.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago*

    Same bought my first PS1 in 1997. So almost 30 years and will not ever buy a new one again. Right now on the hunt for cheap PS2. Fucking shame because Code Veronica was coming soon. But no physical disc then not spending a dime toward it. Unless comes to Steam one day. Or the open sea.

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    • [–] 16 points 3 months ago

    What I don't understand is what even is the point in crunch time for Rockstar? The game is already being delayed by over a year so it's not like they have some target release date they need to stick to. If it needs another 6 months it needs another 6 months, I'm beyond caring at this point.

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    [–] 7 points 3 months ago (1 child)

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    • [–] 13 points 3 months ago*

    Hell yes unions for all!

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    [–] 12 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Are they willing / able to hold GTA6 hostage over this? Because if they aren't, the corp's just gonna lay them off anyway and bring in a skeleton crew to make Content™ for the inevitable forever GAAS they'll be stapling to the game.

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    • [–] 8 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    If they're a union shop they're on my buy list ..

    They still need to make something decent...

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  • [–] 11 points 3 months ago

    Eh, they're trying their hardest not to be. They fired ~30 union members 8 months ago for what is pretty obviously union busting purposes, but it seems that backfired as it drew a lot of attention to the union. People Make Games has been making documentaries on YouTube following the events so far, they just released another today.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    The last two new games they made, GTA5 and RDR2, are both excellent single player games. But they’re not everyone’s cup of tea.

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    • [–] 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (6 children)

    What's a crunch?

    They're really opposed to ab workouts?

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  • [–] 16 points 3 months ago* (5 children)

    Hella mandatory overtime.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    Isn't overtime always optional?

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  • [–] 26 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    In the same way keeping your job is optional, yes

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  • [–] 13 points 3 months ago* (1 child)

    Although in the case of the gaming industry: damned if you do, damned if you don't. Don't do crunch OT? Fired. Do crunch and ship the game? Also fired.

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    • [–] 3 points 3 months ago (7 children)

    But fucking late since there won't be anymore GTA games after this. Im sure they'll make other games but I can 6 being the final GTA game.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (4 children)

    IIRC, they said 5 was going to be.

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  • [–] 13 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    You think that's bad, the "Final" Fantasy is at, what, eighteen now?

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  • [–] 7 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Unclear if youre joking or not.

    The series Final Fantasy got its name because Square was about to shut their doors for good. They believed it was the Final project they were going to work on. It was obviously a huge success and launch Square (Square Enix now) and the franchise to what we know today

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    GTA SA was released in 2004, GTA 4 in 2008 and GTA 5 in 2013. Now it's 2026 and I doubt it we're getting GTA 6 this year.

    Unless you consider waiting another 20 years for GTA 7 fair game, I say they prophecy has been fulfilled.

    Fuck Rockstar and fuck GTA Online. I hope GTA 6's launch will be a tragedy like Cyberpunk's.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    It for sure will be now.

    "What we can't treat these people like slaves anymore and bleed every ounce of work out of them in every way we can? Fuck them then we won't make another one"

    That, or they will make it AI slop shit and have Claude and Devin produce it.

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    • [–] 1 point 3 months ago

    cap'n rolling in his grave

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    [–] -2 points 3 months ago (3 children)

    "No AI" is not going to happen in 2026 (I don't know how they actually phrased the demand and it depends on how you interpret "No AI" but 🤷. "No Layoffs" may be more possible. It'd require rockstar to shift the positions that are more elastic to contractors. Fair and hopefully workable in the bargaining agreement.
    "No Crunch" is interesting. I am not inside the game industry. But I have heard that Crunch is endemic in some companies cultures and pretty widespread across the industry. Curious how that one shakes our.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 months ago* (2 children)

    "No AI" is not going to happen in 2026

    Apparently someone doesn't understand how unions work and who has the actual power

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago (1 child)

    Ok let's unpack "No AI". No AI in the software they use? No vendors that use AI? No AI for internal functions like HR?
    I clearly stated that I had not read into the details but there is no way a major corporation can actually claim "No AI is in any of our processes" in 2026.

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    • [+] -6 points 3 months ago (6 children)

    The problem is, it's not gonna' happen. Rockstar print money so they will be able to pay their way around these demands. Enough people will buy GTA6 that the union demands will be ignored.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    Thats not how this works. Union contracts are legally binding, violating one means not only usually a fine but rectifying whatever they did that broke the contract in the first place. And if the contract is broken and the union feels like they haven't sufficiently remedied the situation then they will call for a more direct action like a strike. Unions offer legal protection, but also a fast and efficient way to organize more serious interventions from the workforce. The whole point of unions is to control the impulses of the hyper rich, so if being rich was enough unions wouldn't exost at all.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    Yeah, I'm sure Rockstar will play ball.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 months ago*

    You are acting like this has never worked against large powerful corporations before. Unions formed and won concessions when the business owners would literally send in pinkertons to shoot people and break strikes. Yes, Rockstar will play ball. Will the union get everything it wants? Probs not, but they will secure a contract with big wins. Again, if Rockstar doesnt play ball the workers will go on strike and start bringing in news outlets to get their message out to apply public pressure. You fundamentally don't understand how unions work or their history.

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