Rockstar Games, developer of Grand Theft Auto, fired more than 30 employees last week after they participated in a Discord server connected to labor organizing efforts. The Independent Workers of Great Britain union accused the company of union busting, while Rockstar claimed the dismissals stemmed from sharing confidential information in a public forum.
The firings occurred amid growing labor discussions within the video game industry. Employees were members of a specific Discord server focused on organizing activities. Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, initially attributed the terminations to gross misconduct without providing further details. This vague response fueled immediate speculation and criticism from labor groups.
In response to inquiries, Rockstar issued a statement to Bloomberg this week. The company specified that the affected workers had been distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum. Rockstar emphasized that these actions violated company policy. The statement explicitly denied any connection to union involvement, stating that the firings were in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities.
The Independent Workers of Great Britain disputed Rockstar’s account. According to the union, the employees were only communicating with labor organizers within what they described as a private Discord group. No outsiders beyond these organizers had access, countering the notion of a public forum. The IWGB viewed the incident as targeted retaliation against workers seeking better conditions.
Last week, the IWGB released a statement labeling the firings as one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry. This characterization highlighted the union’s belief that the company aimed to suppress collective bargaining efforts. The group pointed to the timing and selection of employees as evidence of deliberate interference.
In a subsequent statement to Bloomberg, the IWGB elaborated on Rockstar’s motivations. The union asserted that Rockstar is afraid of hard-working staff privately discussing exercising their rights for a fairer workplace and a collective voice. This fear, according to the IWGB, drove the company to act against the group despite the private nature of the discussions.
Rockstar has faced numerous leaks throughout its history. A notable example is the 2022 incident involving Grand Theft Auto 6, where an external hacker accessed the company’s systems and released footage online. That breach did not involve internal employees using platforms like Discord to disclose information, distinguishing it from the current situation.
