Rockstar Says Fired GTA 6 Developers Were Let Go Over Leaks, Not Union Activity
Rockstar Games has commented on the dismissal of 34 developers who were working on Grand Theft Auto VI, stating that the layoffs were caused by leaks of confidential information — not by union activity. Earlier, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) asked a UK court to temporarily reinstate the employees, accusing the studio of union busting.
According to Rockstar, the developers discussed details of unannounced projects and gameplay mechanics in a public, unsecured Discord channel. The company claims that third parties — including people from other companies and journalists — had access to the channel. Rockstar stresses that such behavior violates long-standing and well-known confidentiality policies.
We took action against a group of individuals who discussed strictly confidential information in an unsecured public channel. This was a direct violation of our policies. This was never about union membership. We have always enforced a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorized information sharing — and we will continue to do so.
Previously, the controversy surrounding the layoffs drew attention from British politicians. Protests were held in Edinburgh and London, while members of local councils and Parliament initiated formal discussions and potential appeals to Rockstar, calling for the developers’ reinstatement. The dispute has been ongoing since September of last year.