The Blubber

Rockstar Games is asking employees to return to the office five days a week.

Rockstar Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, will require employees to return to the office five days a week starting in April as the video game company enters the final stages of development for its highly anticipated game, Grand Theft Auto VI.

In an email to staff on Wednesday, Rockstar's Head of Publishing, Jenn Kolbe, stated that the decision was made for productivity and security reasons. The company has experienced several security breaches, including a significant leak of early footage from the new Grand Theft Auto and an early trailer that leaked in December. Kolbe mentioned that the company has also observed "tangible benefits" from in-person work. "Implementing these changes now positions us best to deliver the next Grand Theft Auto at the level of quality and polish we know it demands, alongside a publishing plan that aligns with the game's scale and ambition," she wrote.

“Making these changes now puts us in the best position to deliver the next Grand Theft Auto at the level of quality and polish we know it requires, along with a publishing roadmap that matches the scale and ambition of the game,” Kolbe said.

That sounds nice, but no one’s buying it. On Twitter, developers from myriad studios decried the decision, calling the return-to-office mandate “bullshit.” “Return to Office Mandates are layoffs,” a former Bungie employee tweeted. “Remote workers are effectively told: Move or Quit.” “Headline should be ‘Rockstar lays off all remote workers,’” posted a Sucker Punch developer.

ffice. Rockstar Games is not the first developer to insist upon a return to office. Activision Blizzard demanded the same of its employees in February 2023.