New Controversy at Rockstar: Firing of Some GTA 6 Developers Becomes Problematic
According to a new report from Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, Rockstar Games has laid off between 30 and 40 employees in its UK and Canadian offices. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) described this action as “one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the gaming industry.”
According to the report, the laid-off employees were all part of a private Discord server focused on forming a labor union. These individuals were either union members or were attempting to organize one within Rockstar.
Alex Marshall, IWGB General Secretary, in a strong statement, called this action “a blatant contempt for the law and the lives of workers” who generate billions of dollars for the company, and deemed it “an insult to fans and the global industry.”
In contrast, the parent company, Take-Two, strongly denied these allegations. A Take-Two spokesperson stated that these employees were fired due to “gross misconduct” and that this decision was unrelated to unionization efforts.
In a separate statement, the company reiterated “gross misconduct” as the reason for the layoffs, emphasizing its company culture based on “teamwork, excellence, and kindness.”
However, this is not the first dispute between the workers’ union and Rockstar. Earlier in 2024, the company’s new guidelines, which required employees to be in the office five days a week, had escalated tensions between the workers’ union and Rockstar. The company cited increased productivity and prevention of information leaks as the reasons for this.
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