Last week, Rockstar Games fired 30 to 40 coders and graphic designers in the United Kingdom and Canada for leaking corporate information. However, according to the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), the workers actually wanted to unionize.
Rockstar Games, the company behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, claims that the employees had shared confidential information on a public forum. By doing so, they violated their terms of employment. The company denies it has anything to do with them engaging in union activities.
“Last week, we took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies. This was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities,” a Rockstar spokesperson told Bloomberg.
A spokesperson from Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, says that the employees were fired because of “gross misconduct” and no other reason.
“As always, we fully support Rockstar’s ambitions and approach. We strive to make the world’s best entertainment properties by giving our best-in-class creative teams positive work environments and ongoing career opportunities. Our culture is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness,” he told The Register.
However, according to IWGB President Alex Marshall, the staffers were laid off because they tried to unionize, calling it a “blatant and ruthless” act of union busting.
“This flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions is an insult to their fans and the global industry,” he said in a public statement last week, adding that he will pursue every legal claim possible to ensure the union’s members are reinstated and receive interim relief.
Grand Theft Auto VI, the highly anticipated upcoming game in the GTA franchise, is currently slated for a May 26th, 2026, release. The game is expected to break all sales records and earn Rockstar upwards of $10 billion.
“That’s enough to end world hunger for a year. Such a flagrant attack on workers’ rights from such a valuable studio sends a very clear and shocking message to the world, that money matters more than people,” Spring McParlin-Jones, Chair of the IWGB Game Workers Union, said last week.
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