Rockstar says employees were fired for leaking secrets, not for trying to unionize

"One of the most shameless instances of union-busting"

by · TechSpot

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A hot potato: Rockstar Games has responded to claims that the reason it fired dozens of employees last week was because they were trying to unionize. The Grand Theft Auto developer says that the firings were solely over alleged leaking of company secrets.

Reports emerged last week that Rockstar Games had fired between 30 and 40 staff across its UK and Canada offices on October 30.

All of the fired workers were part of a private trade union chat group on Discord. The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union called the move "the most brazen act of union busting the games industry has ever seen." The IWGB told Bloomberg that some of the fired employees were members of the union, while others were trying to organize.

Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, said at the time that the employees were fired for gross misconduct, and for no other reason.

In one of the most shameless instances of union-busting Rockstar Games fired 30+ IWGB union members for NO OTHER REASON than to terrorize & silence them. Join the IWGB protest! Demand reinstatement! Thursday, 6 November 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Take-Two House, 30 Cleveland Street, London, W1T 4JD

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– IWGB (@iwgbunion.bsky.social) Nov 5, 2025 at 14:39

Now, a new Bloomberg report has expanded on Take-Two's claims. The company says that it took action against staff who had been distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, violating company policies.

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"This was in no way related to people's right to join a union or engage in union activities," Take-Two said.

The IWGB disputes the company's explanation, noting that the only non-Rockstar personnel the employees were speaking to were labor organizers. In a new statement, the union said that Rockstar is "afraid of hard-working staff privately discussing exercising their rights for a fairer workplace and a collective voice."

While this incident doesn't appear related to Grand Theft Auto VI, Take-Two has been extremely cautious when it comes to leaks involving next year's release.

Back in September 2022, one of the biggest leaks of all time took place when over 90 videos and screenshots from early GTA VI development were posted online. Rockstar said the hack cost it $5 million and thousands of hours of employee time.

It was later revealed that a UK teenager was behind the hack and leak. He was sentenced to indefinite imprisonment inside a secure hospital due to his desire to return to cybercrime as soon as possible.

In 2024, Rockstar became the latest company to drag its workers back into the office for five days per week. Rather than being for "productivity" reasons, the move was designed to minimize the risk of further leaks.