A long labor dispute at Rockstar Games over the firing of 34 Grand Theft Auto 6 developers has intensified with new claims from the company and a formal response from the United Kingdom’s political leaders. The main issue is whether the employees were fired for trying to form a union, as the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) argues, or for leaking sensitive company and game information, as the developer asserts.
Rockstar has reiterated its stance, stating that the employees—31 in the UK and three in Toronto—were let go for sharing and discussing “confidential information (including specific game features from upcoming and unannounced titles)” within a private Discord server. The company insists these actions violated company policy and legal obligations, as one representative told IGN. Moreover, Rockstar denied any accusations of union busting, claiming that others who supported union membership are still employed because they did not breach confidentiality rules. The developer also alleged that the IWGB-operated server included a game journalist and an employee from a competing studio among its members.
IWGB communications officer Jake Thomas has strongly dismissed Rockstar’s recent statement, calling the accusations “falsehoods and disinformation.” The union accused the studio of trying to create reasons for the dismissals by giving “multiple, conflicting reasons” for the October firings. Addressing the involvement of outsiders, Thomas clarified that the non-Rockstar individuals in the channel were union representatives, not journalists or competitors involved in leaking information.
The seriousness of the situation has gone beyond the gaming industry, capturing the attention of Parliament. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the situation “deeply concerning” and suggested that the British government would look into the reasons behind the developer firings. In response to the crisis, the IWGB has started legal action, demanding the reinstatement of all laid-off employees and stating its intention to pursue claims of unfair dismissal if its demands are not met. This marks one of the biggest labor challenges faced by a major Western game studio in recent years.
