Rockstar Games accused of union-busting

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s Rockstar Games fired over 30 staffers on October 30, prompting accusations of union-busting against the Grand Theft Auto developer. According to a statement by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), the firings were due to trade union activity.

“The staff, who were all part of a private trade union Discord channel and members of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), were dismissed in what the union argues constitutes unlawful and retaliatory dismissals,” the statement says.

IWGB President Alex Marshall said of the firings: “Rockstar has just carried out the most blatant and ruthless act of union-busting in the history of the games industry. This flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions is an insult to their fans and the global industry.

“The IWGB will pursue every legal claim possible to ensure our members are reinstated and receive interim relief,” he added.

Take Two supported Rockstar’s decision and denied the allegations of retaliatory firings in a statement to PC Gamer.

“We strive to make the world’s best entertainment properties by giving our best-in-class creative teams positive work environments and ongoing career opportunities,” Take-Two’s head of global corporate communications, Alan Lewis, said. “Our culture is focused on teamwork, excellence, and kindness. Rockstar Games terminated a small number of individuals for gross misconduct, and for no other reason. As always, we fully support Rockstar’s ambitions and approach.”

Later, in a statement to Bloomberg, Rockstar explained that the firings were due to staff members “distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum.”   

“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,” a Rockstar spokesperson told Bloomberg in a statement.” This was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities.”

According to the YouTube channel People Make Games, the timing of these firings could have been triggered by the number of staffers who wanted to move forward with forming a union.

“[The Rockstar Games Workers’ Union] recruited just over 10% of the Rockstar workforce here in the UK, which is a crucial milestone to hit because that happens to be one of the criteria you need in this country in order to apply for what’s called statutory recognition. That means even if the company doesn’t want to voluntarily recognize your union, it doesn’t matter. The government can force it to do so. Now, there’s other criteria you need to hit as well, but that 10% membership, that’s a biggie.”

Watch People Make Games’ video below, where he talks to former staffers who are demonstrating outside Rockstar North in Edinburgh.

In an interview with People Make Games, the IWGB President explained why communications on a Discord server should be fully legal and respected by Rockstar.

“This looks like nothing more than union-busting. There’s a clear pattern as to the people who’ve been affected by this. The way they’re calling it is like this platform. They weren’t on these big, open public forums spouting company secrets. 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.

“And it looks like they’re essentially trying to decapitate the union when they see it’s gathering momentum, when they see it’s passing the 10% threshold, when they can see it’s picking up. And instead of actually thinking, ‘Oh, our workers are unionising. Clearly, there’s something we should engage with.’ They’ve just tried to steamroll it.”

After announcing a delay, Rockstar has moved the release date of Grand Theft Auto 6 to November 2026.

“Next year, Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to make  upwards of $10 billion. That’s enough to end world hunger for a year. Such a flagrant attack on workers’ rights from such a valuable studio sends a very clear and shocking message to the world, that money matters more than people” commented Spring Mcparlin-Jones, Chair of the IWGB Game Workers Union.

You can contribute to the Rockstar Workers fundraiser here.

Game Industry Biz has reported that IWBG has filed formal legal complains to addresses the firings.

“Despite our representation and attempts to meet with Rockstar to resolve the matter through negotiation, Rockstar have declined and persisted to terminate members of the union in a manner that is unacceptable and unlawful. Accordingly, we have now issued formal legal claims against Rockstar on behalf of the Claimants,” the union’s legal team said in a statement.

“We are confident that what we’ve seen here is plain and simple union busting, and we will mount a full legal defence with our expert group of caseworkers, legal officers and barristers. Employers like Rockstar would do well to understand that private spaces such as trade union Discord servers have protections, and that their company’s contractual clauses do not supersede UK law, ” Marshall, IWGB president, added.