Jeremy Hartwick, a former open-world designer at Rockstar Games who worked on Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA VI, stated that during his tenure, he never heard internal discussions about the need to reduce staff size, nor did he hear concerns about whether the company could afford its current team. He believes Rockstar Games can "afford" these expenses, but employee retention is still influenced by job performance.
Hartwick explained on the Kiwi Talkz podcast that employees need to consider whether they can meet the company's expectations; those whose performance does not meet requirements may also be unable to stay. Therefore, his statement does not imply that Rockstar Games lacks performance pressure, but rather suggests that personnel decisions are not solely driven by insufficient funds.
Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 continue to generate revenue after their release, with Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online contributing additional income through their large communities and microtransactions. However, a stable financial situation does not mean the company is free from labor issues; Rockstar Games was still involved in labor arbitration due to the sudden layoff of some employees the previous year.
Hartwick left Rockstar Games in 2020. He stated that although he was from mainland Europe, he worked at Rockstar North's office in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the heavy workload made it difficult to spend time with his family. After the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, he realized that GTA VI might still require a long development cycle, prompting him to reconsider whether he wanted to continue. His comments on layoffs are limited to his personal experience and do not prove that Rockstar Games will or will not conduct layoffs currently or in the future.