Rockstar Games has once again broken its silence regarding the recent dismissals of Grand Theft Auto 6 developers, a topic that has dominated headlines. While the company has clarified the reasons for the dismissals with more detailed allegations, the union involved denies all of these accusations. At the heart of the ongoing dispute is the question of whether the developers were fired for attempting to unionize or for leaking company secrets.
Tension between Rockstar and the union
This purge, which took place in late October 2025, resulted in the dismissal of 34 employees in total, 31 in the UK and the remaining three at the company’s Toronto studio. At the time, Rockstar claimed that the developers had leaked company secrets through a private Discord server managed by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB). The IWGB dismissed this claim, arguing that the dismissals were a clear attempt to prevent unionization.
Rockstar maintains that the dismissals have nothing to do with the developers’ use of Slack emojis. Company representatives state that a small group of people who shared specific game features from unannounced games on a public forum were targeted. Rockstar also claims that a game journalist and an employee from a rival development company were present on the Discord server in question. The company emphasizes that only the personnel found to be discussing confidential information were dismissed, and that other employees who spoke in favor of the union but did not violate any policies remained employed.
It has also been confirmed that the situation was reported to management by other employees who saw the leaks and became concerned. The issue has also caught the attention of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who described it as “extremely worrying” and implied that the government would investigate the dismissals. The IWGB, however, categorically rejects Rockstar’s latest allegations. The union states that they were unaware of the alleged leaks of game features and that the journalist in question was actually present as a union representative. The union argues that Rockstar is attempting to create retroactive excuses for the dismissals and initiated legal proceedings in November 2025.
While these mutual accusations and legal proceedings, which caused a major stir in the gaming world, continue, the line between leak allegations and unionization rights remains under debate. So, in this incident, which side’s arguments do you find more consistent; should company safety or employee rights take precedence?
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