Rockstar accused of firing Grand Theft Auto developer over unionization

grand theft auto 6 We're just over six months away from release, but the game's developer, Rockstar Games, has something brewing. Earlier this week, the studio laid off 30 to 40 employees across its UK and Canadian offices. Fired employees reportedly tried to unionize when they were laid off.

Bloomberg broke the story, adding that all of the fired employees were members of a private union chat group on Discord. According to a spokesperson for the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, the group is made up of members who are already members of the union and others who are trying to unionize at Rockstar.

“Rockstar has just committed one of the most blatant and brutal acts of union-busting in the history of the games industry,” IWGB president Alex Marshall said in a statement. “This blatant disregard for the law and the lives of workers who earn billions is an affront to their fans and the global industry.”

A spokesman for Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, expressed support for Rockstar's decision and claimed that the employees were fired “due to serious misconduct and no other reason.”

This appears to be a dispute that may ultimately be resolved within the courts, depending on how the UK and Canadian courts view it. This can take a long time to work.

Rockstar Games recently shared a job listing predicting GTA 6 will have its biggest release yet in video game history. That seems likely, considering GTA V sold more than $215 million earlier this year and GTA Online remains a cash cow for the company.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick also noted He is not worried about AI competing with GTAhe has His assessment of technology is very consistent.

GTA 6 will be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on May 26, 2026.