Union leader says fired GTA 6 devs weren't leaking Rockstar secrets, they were talking about working conditions on a private Discord: "They should be legally protected to do that"

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Rockstar Faces Scrutiny After Firing 30+ UK Employees Amid Union Efforts

At the end of October 2025, Rockstar Games terminated more than 30 employees linked to developer union activity, sparking accusations of aggressive union-busting. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) called the firings “the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the UK games industry.” Rockstar, in contrast, claimed the dismissals were due to leaks of “confidential information” and unrelated to union involvement.

Union Recruitment Preceded Firings

According to a report from YouTube channel People Make Games (PMG), the Rockstar Games Workers Union, supported by IWGB, had recently recruited about 10% of Rockstar’s UK workforce. This recruitment is significant because it meets one of the thresholds to apply for statutory recognition, which would allow the UK government to compel Rockstar to formally acknowledge the union.

The firings coincided with Rockstar citing claims of “gross misconduct”. Specifically, the company alleged that affected employees were “distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum.” Among those let go were 31 employees at Rockstar North, based in Edinburgh—the lead studio on the Grand Theft Auto series—and three employees at Rockstar Toronto, all linked to union activity.

Private Discord Server Under Scrutiny

IWGB president Alex Marshall clarified that the so-called public forum was actually a private union Discord server, and that the alleged confidential information was discussion about workplace conditions.

"These employees weren’t on these big, open, public forums spouting secrets on the company," Marshall told PMG. "This was on a finite union Discord in which people were discussing their material conditions at the company, and they should be legally protected to do that."

Calls for Reinstatement and Accountability

An IWGB organizer, identified only as Fred, said the union is seeking reinstatement of the fired employees, compensation for lost wages, and “clear accountability for the way these dismissals have been handled—these very clear unfair dismissals without procedure, without evidence.” Fred added that the union has submitted appeals to Rockstar, hoping for an amicable resolution.

"This is egregious and to be honest, shocking," Fred said. "I have never seen a thing like this, not just in the game sector, but in UK trade union organizing in the last 20 years. These are workers who just want to go back to work to work on a game that they love."

Rockstar has not issued further comment at this time. PMG reports that the situation remains under close watch as the union pushes for resolution.

References

  1. People Make Games. Rockstar’s Union Firing Scandal, YouTube, 2025.

  2. Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB). Official statements on Rockstar firings, 2025.

  3. GamesRadar+. Reporting on union activity and Rockstar layoffs, 2025.


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