‘GTA’ publisher Rockstar Games accused of union busting after firings
Rockstar Games from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., which develops Grand Theft Autosacked staff at a British union. While the union accuses the studio of union busting, the company says the workers were fired for misconduct.
Rockstar Games reportedly laid off more than 30 employees on Thursday, according to a statement from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB). The workers, who are members of the IWGB, have been involved in an IWGB Game Workers Union Discord channel; the union claims the firings were illegal and retaliatory.
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“Rockstar has just committed the most egregious and callous anti-union act in the history of the video game industry,” IWGB President Alex Marshall said in the union’s press release. “This blatant disregard for the law and the lives of the workers who earn their billions is an insult to their fans and the global industry.”
Crushable speed of light
Staff were present in offices in the United Kingdom and Canada, Bloomberg reported. According to IWGB organizers, some of the laid-off workers were on Rockstar-sponsored visas, and others suffered from health problems.
The IWGB said it would “mount a full and robust defense of its members.”
Meanwhile, Take-Two spokesperson Alan Lewis told Bloomberg that the dismissals were due to “gross misconduct and for no other reason” and that “we fully support Rockstar’s ambitions and approach.”
Rockstar Games is best known for the Grand Theft Auto franchise. The last iteration, Grand Theft Auto VIhas been delayed several times, with its long-awaited release now scheduled for May 2026 – but rumors are swirling that it could be even later.
