Rockstar’s controversial recent firing of 31 Grand Theft Auto 6 staff has now reached UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has described the matter as “deeply concerning” and pledged that ministers would invesigate.
The layoffs, which took place at the end of October, were raised in the UK’s Parliament during today’s session of Prime Minister’s Questions, by Rockstar North’s local MP Chris Murray.
“The video games company Rockstar in my constituency last month fired 31 employees without providing evidence or union representation,” Murray told the Prime Minister. “The [Independent Workers Union of Great Britain union] IWGB alleges union busting. Having met Rockstar they failed to reassure me they are following employment law and I share concerns about union busting.
“Given this government is responsible for the biggest increase in workers rights in a generation,” Murray continued, “does the Prime Minister agree all companies regardless of profit size must follow UK employment law and all workers have the right to join a union?”
“It’s a deeply concerning case,” Starmer replied. “Every worker has the right to join a trade union and we’re determined to strengthen workers rights and ensure they don’t face unfair consequences for being part of a union. Our ministers will look into the particular case that he [Murray] raises and will keep him updated.”
For its part, Rockstar’s parent company Take-Two Interactive previously described the firings as due to “gross misconduct, and for no other reason” after employees were found to be “distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum” against company policy. IGN has contacted Take-Two again for further comment today.
Several reports on the issue, including by Bloomberg and People Make Games, have examined what is alleged to have occured in more detail. Bloomberg was first to report that the workers were all UK and Canadian employees who had been members of a private chat server on Discord, where union organization had been discussed.
A subsequent report by People Make Games, meanwhile, revealed that employees on that Discord server had shared and discussed a specific message from Rockstar management regarding changes to the company’s Slack message policy, designed to cut down on off-topic conversations. It’s this sharing and discussing of an internal policy that is believed to have given Rockstar its legal justification to fire the workers.
But was this drastic action, which saw some employees who had worked at the company for over a decade marched out of the office by security, justfied? The IWGB previously branded Rockstar’s decision as “the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry,” made with “flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions.”
In a statement sent to IGN today, MP Chris Murray shared further, eyebrow-raising detail of his attempts to discuss the matter with Rockstar itself, including a joint meeting alongside fellow Edinburgh MPs Tracy Gilbert and Scott Arthur at Rockstar North’s offices which began with a standoff over the need to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
“The meeting began with us as MPs refused entry unless an NDA was signed, a request they eventually withdrew after it being made clear this would not be signed,” Murray said.
He continued: “The meeting only entrenched my concerns about the process Rockstar used to dismiss so many of their staff members. I was not assured their process paid robust attention to UK employment law, I was not convinced that this course of action was necessary, and alarmingly, I did not leave informed on exactly what these 31 people had done to warrant their immediate dismissal.”
Following Grand Theft Auto 6’s most recent delay, the highly-anticipated blockbuster is now set to arrive on November 19, 2026. Despite the extra wait, the game is projected by some analysts to make $3 billion in its first year on sale and said by others to be one of the most important game releases of all time.
As for Rockstar’s now-former staff, the IWGB has formally taken up their case and filed legal claims against Rockstar Games, alleging that their dismissal constituted “trade union victimisation and blacklisting.” The first step on this legal journey will see the IWGB’s claim examined by a tribunal who will determine whether the ex-employees are eligible for any interim relief. IGN recently questioned Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick on the matter, who answered by defending the company’s culture and saying that Take-Two was “incredibly proud of our labor relations.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
