Take-Two CEO says 'our culture is extraordinary' amid union-busting accusations at GTA 6 Dev Rockstar Games

Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games have been busy. GTA 6 was delayed yesterdaynews released in conjunction with Take-Two’s quarterly earnings call. Just last week, Rockstar laid off 30 to 40 employees, later claiming they “Distribute and discuss confidential information in public forums“Violates company policy. However, the fired employees said they were participating in union-related Discord chats and Their sackings were 'blatant' and 'ruthless' union busting.

Amid all this, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick defended the company's culture and labor record, saying Take-Two is “extremely proud” of its labor relations.

When I asked Zelnick in an interview with IGN yesterday before the earnings announcement if he had any response to the union-busting accusations, he pointed me to Take-Two and Rockstar's existing public statements and reiterated that “we fully support Rockstar.”

I then asked Zelnick what is Take-Two's overall stance on unions? Zelnick did not answer that specific question. But he did say this:

“This is what we stand for. We value every colleague very seriously. We have 13,500 colleagues around the world. We are proud of our culture. In the past few years we have grown to more than 15 Named an Employer of Choice… This year we were certified as a Best Place to Work in both the US and the UK, Forbes recently named us one of the World's Best Employers, and… our employee turnover rate is just over 6% or less than the industry average globally, and less than 4% in the UK, and the industry average is over 12%, and Rockstar is even below our average.”

“So, you know, the proof is in the pudding, the food is delicious, and I think our culture is phenomenal. We strive to be the most creative, most innovative and most efficient company in the industry. That's how we look at it. We're very proud of our labor relations.”

(A Take-Two spokesperson later clarified that Rockstar's global churn rate was 4%, and in the UK it was “half that number.” IGN followed up to ask about the source of the industry average churn rate of over 12%. The spokesperson clarified that it was for “entertainment and technology,” and that the source was Take-Two's own internal research: “We use a variety of relevant data platforms/sources to compile.”)

Zelnick's response comes amid an uproar over the firing. Affected employees and supporters protested outside Rockstar and Take-Two's UK offices yesterday. According to the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), the only non-Rockstar people in the private union Discord are union organizers. IWGB boss Alex Marshall issued the following statement to IGN:

“Rockstar continues to avoid the real reason for these firings: They are afraid of hard-working employees privately discussing exercising their rights for a fairer workplace and a collective voice. Management has shown they don't care about GTA 6's delays and are prioritizing a fight against the union, targeting those who make the game.

“In recent years, Rockstar executives have benefited from £443 million in tax breaks while showing complete disregard for the law or the livelihoods of their employees. At all times, they have chosen profits over workers and fans of the game. The only non-Rockstar employees in the union Discord channel are union organizers.”

Rockstar insists the dismissal was due to “serious misconduct and no other reason.”

Rockstar North and Take-Two office protest photos November 2025