Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., the parent company of Rockstar Games, has fired dozens of employees allegedly involved in an attempt to unionize workers at the GTA 6 studio, according to a British union. The company, however, claims the dismissals were due to employee misconduct.
The news was first reported by journalist Jason Schreier on Bloomberg, who cited a spokesperson from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB). According to the union, Rockstar Games allegedly terminated between 30 and 40 employees across several offices in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Allegations of Union Suppression
The disciplinary actions reportedly took place last Thursday. All the affected employees were part of a private Discord chat dedicated to union organization and were either members of the union or attempting to organize internally, the spokesperson said.
“[Rockstar’s] 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,” said Alex Marshall, president of IWGB, in a statement.
Alan Lewis, a spokesperson for Take-Two, responded that the dismissals occurred “for gross misconduct, and for no other reason,” adding that “we fully support Rockstar’s ambitions and approach.”
The situation stems from Rockstar’s tightening of internal security measures following the massive 2022 data leak involving GTA 6. Early in 2024, the studio required employees to return to the office five days a week, citing security reasons among others.
The release of Grand Theft Auto VI is still scheduled for May 26, 2026, with strong expectations that it will achieve the biggest video game launch of all time.
