According to IGN, up to 40 Rockstar Games employees were fired last week for allegedly “distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum,” sparking protests outside both Take-Two’s London headquarters and Rockstar North’s Edinburgh office today, November 6. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain organized the gatherings, with fired staff holding signs and demanding reinstatement with back pay. Take-Two insists the terminations were solely for “gross misconduct” related to policy violations, while the IWGB claims this is “blatant” union busting targeting workers in private union Discord channels. The controversy comes ahead of GTA 6’s expected May 2025 release, following Rockstar’s increased security focus after the massive 2022 GTA 6 leak that CEO Strauss Zelnick called “terribly unfortunate.”
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Union Busting or Security Measure?
Here’s the thing – both sides are sticking to completely different stories. Take-Two says this is about confidential information being shared publicly. The union says the only non-Rockstar people in that Discord were union organizers. So which is it? Basically, we’ve got a classic case of “he said, she said” with people’s livelihoods on the line.
And let’s be real – the timing is suspicious. These firings hit right as workers were organizing around workplace issues. The IWGB boss isn’t mincing words, calling this “prioritising union busting by targeting the very people who make the game.” Meanwhile, Rockstar executives have benefited from £443 million in tax relief. That’s not exactly chump change.
Security Paranoia Meets Worker Rights
Now, Rockstar does have legitimate security concerns. Remember that massive GTA 6 leak in 2022? The company’s been ultra-sensitive about leaks ever since. They even forced everyone back to the office five days a week, citing security as one reason. But here’s the question: when does security become an excuse to control workers?
One fired employee put it perfectly: “We weren’t leaking anything or trying to harm the company. We were supporting each other, trying to understand our workplace and make it better.” That doesn’t exactly sound like corporate espionage, does it?
Bigger Picture for Game Developers
This isn’t just about Rockstar. The entire games industry has been wrestling with unionization efforts and terrible working conditions for years. Crunch culture, layoffs, now alleged union busting – it’s a pattern. And when a company making billions can fire dozens of people right before the holidays? That sends a chilling message to every developer out there.
Look, companies need to protect their IP. But they also need to respect worker rights. The real test will be whether these protests actually change anything – or if Rockstone just rides out the bad PR until GTA 6 drops.
