Unionizing Rockstar Games employees were reportedly fired for leaks, with GTA 6 delay possible
On Friday, October 31st, the news broke that Rockstar Games had fired as many as 40 employees. The GTA 6 studio accused the workers of “gross misconduct”. However, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) argued that union busting was the goal. After facing scrutiny, Rockstar has clarified that its employees were leaking confidential information.
Jason Schreier, who wrote the original story, followed up with another Bloomberg report. A Rockstar Games representative told him, “Last week, we took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies”. The studio denies that it was attempting to stop the workers from forming a union.
It’s believed that the employees joined a Discord server to discuss workplace concerns. According to Rockstar, they were also sharing company secrets. IWGB President Alex Marshall disputes that explanation. He contends that no members of the public were present in the chat, except for labor organizers.
Marshall also insists that the studio was union busting, putting its projects at risk in the process. He mentions a potential GTA 6 release date delay as a result of the mass firings: "Management are showing they don’t care about delays to GTA VI, and that they’re prioritizing union-busting by targeting the very people who make the game".
How Rockstar Games prevents leaks
Gamers are again criticizing Rockstar’s comments, noting that recent GTA 6 leaks have been minimal. Still, the company has been notoriously paranoid about these incidents. Game Rant discussed how workers must sign unusually strict non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Other reports describe tight office security and keeping small teams separated to minimize any exposure.
The Take-Two Interactive subsidiary has also not been reluctant to punish alleged leakers. In 2022, hacker Arion Kurtaj released 90 video clips from an early build of GTA 6. Rockstar assisted the authorities in his prosecution, which it claims cost them $5 million.
With the company repeatedly accused of mistreating workers, Rockstar’s latest statements are unlikely to convince skeptics.
