Fired Rockstar Video games employees have protested outdoors the UK workplaces of guardian firm Take-Two and developer Rockstar North, denying accusations of leaking firm secrets and techniques and calling for his or her reinstatement.
Gatherings organized by the Unbiased Employees Union of Nice Britain (IWGB) have been held outdoors Take-Two Home in London and Rockstar’s workplace at Barclay Home in Edinburgh, Scotland at present, November 6, after as much as 40 employees have been fired for allegedly “distributing and discussing confidential data in a public discussion board.”
Clips of the protests printed to social media present heavy criticism of Take-Two and Rockstar’s actions, with fired employees holding indicators and studying ready statements calling for his or her reinstatement and again pay compensation.
Rockstar: tries to bust unions🦹♀️
Us: Maintain my controller 🎮🔥🔥
We’re combating again 💥💥
IWGB organized a protest in entrance of the @RockstarGames guardian firm Take-Two Interactive in London at presentWe’ll be sure the credit are rolling on their company greed ❌️@IWGB_GW pic.twitter.com/y6LFqBNVH7
— IWGB (@IWGBunion) November 6, 2025
Requires reinstatement and again pay compensation pic.twitter.com/g8zlUFiCno
— GTABase.com (@GTABase) November 6, 2025
Final week, the Grand Theft Auto 6 studio reportedly fired between 30 and 40 workers in a transfer that the IWGB claimed was “blatant” and “ruthless” union busting. On the time, Rockstar guardian firm Take-Two issued an announcement insisting the firings have been for “gross misconduct, and for no different cause.”
In keeping with Bloomberg, the fired employees have been all UK and Canadian workers who have been additionally a part of a personal commerce union chat group on Discord, and have been both union members themselves or making an attempt to prepare a union inside Rockstar. The IWGB claimed the employees have been fired explicitly resulting from union actions.
A brand new Bloomberg report carried a contemporary assertion from Take-Two, by which the corporate insisted the fired employees had leaked firm secrets and techniques in a “public discussion board.”
“Final week, we took motion towards a small variety of people who have been discovered to be distributing and discussing confidential data in a public discussion board, a violation of our firm insurance policies,” the Take-Two assertion learn. “This was by no means associated to folks’s proper to affix a union or interact in union actions.”
In keeping with the IWGB, the one non-Rockstar folks contained in the personal union Discord have been union organizers. IWGB boss Alex Marshall issued IGN the next assertion:
“Rockstar proceed to deflect from the true cause for these dismissals: they’re afraid of onerous working employees privately discussing exercising their rights for a fairer office and a collective voice. Administration are displaying they don’t care about delays to GTA 6, and that they’re prioritising union busting by concentrating on the very individuals who make the sport.
“Lately, Rockstar executives have benefited from £443 million in tax aid, whereas displaying complete disregard for the legislation or the livelihoods of their employees. At each flip, they’ve chosen income over each employees and followers of their video games.
“The one non Rockstar workers within the union Discord channel have been union organisers.”
A dismissed worker at Rockstar reads an announcement: pic.twitter.com/wkIDU28NRJ
— ben (@videotechuk_) November 6, 2025
One fired member of employees protesting at present stated what had occurred to them was “deeply unfair,” claiming they have been dismissed “with out warning, with out proof, and with out a probability to talk for myself.”
The fired employees member continued: “All as a result of I talked with colleagues in a personal union chat. We weren’t leaking something or making an attempt to hurt the corporate. We have been supporting one another, making an attempt to know our office and make it higher. To lose my job for that’s deeply unfair. No-one needs to be punished for being a part of a union or for talking actually about their work.”
Ross Greer, co-leader of the Scottish Greens political occasion and MSP for the West of Scotland, took to social media to again the protests, saying: “Reinstate them now, then get across the desk and provides your employees the pay and situations they deserve for making you billions.”
The @scottishgreens stand with the handfuls of employees sacked by @RockstarGames for exercising their proper to organise a union.
Reinstate them now, then get across the desk and provides your employees the pay and situations they deserve for making you billions. pic.twitter.com/jENH89QNYg
— Ross Greer (@Ross_Greer) November 6, 2025
The protests come forward of the anticipated launch of GTA 6 in Might subsequent yr. Whereas limiting its pre-release advertising to only two trailers and a collection of screenshots to date, Rockstar has put a give attention to safety after struggling a huge leak of the in-development GTA 6 in 2022, and the day-early launch of GTA 6 Trailer 1 the next yr. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick known as the 2022 leak “terribly unlucky… and we take these types of incidents very significantly certainly.”
He added: “There’s no proof that any materials property have been taken, which is an effective factor, and positively the leak gained’t have any affect on improvement or something of the type, however it’s terribly disappointing and causes us to be ever extra vigilant on issues regarding cybersecurity.”
Final yr, the studio requested workers to return to the workplace 5 days per week, citing a need for each elevated productiveness and safety. The choice was criticized by employees affiliated with the IWGB, who stated Rockstar broke guarantees with the compelled return to workplace, and accused the studio of refusing to interact with employees on the difficulty.
Picture credit score: Ross Greer / Twitter.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
