When thinking about a game company as big and successful as Rockstar Games, with their portfolio and backing from Take-Two Interactive, you wouldn't expect them to be looking for handouts - and yet. The developer behind Grand Theft Auto VI has claimed more than half a billion pounds in UK government tax relief since 2015, and the numbers are raising serious questions about whether that level of public support is justified for a studio this profitable.
According to newly published financial accounts reported by The Scotsman, Rockstar Games UK received over £70 million in 2024/25 through the Treasury's Video Games Tax Relief (VGTR) scheme. In that same year, the Edinburgh-based company posted profits exceeding £87 million on a turnover of £508 million, making it the fourth consecutive year Rockstar's UK operations crossed the half-billion-pound revenue mark.
Here's the part that has politicians paying attention. In the same year Rockstar collected £70 million in tax relief, the company paid out £85 million in dividends to shareholders. Over the past decade, total dividends exceeded £400 million, while cumulative profits topped £604 million. Does this level of profitability and success really need tax relief? In this economy?
