Rockstar fired several employees and faced criticism for it. Now the affected are standing up for themselves and urging the developer of GTA 6 to comply with the law.
What circumstances were there regarding the layoffs? Industry insider Jason Schreier alleges that Rockstar fired between 30 and 40 employees when they attempted to form some sort of union.
Rockstar itself denies the allegations and states that employees were dismissed due to “gross misconduct.” The accusations are clearly rejected.
But it didn’t take long for backlash from the affected to return. The former developers have teamed up with the Independent Worker’s Union of Great Britain and other supporters to fight back.
Fired employees protest in front of the headquarters
What is this action about? The ex-employees are protesting in front of Rockstar North’s office in Edinburgh and Take-Two’s office in London. In front of the building, they raise banners, light smoke flares, and chant slogans like “Rockstar, you are disgusting.” A clip on X shows what the protest looks like.
Another affected individual, who is on X, accuses Rockstar of firing him without any warning and without any evidence. He claims he had no chance to defend himself.
Regarding the allegations that employees leaked confidential information, he says: “And all this just because I talked with colleagues in a private union chat. We leaked nothing and did not intend to harm the company.”
In a further post, signs like “Grand Theft Employment” are visible, referring to working conditions under Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6). A spokesperson for Scottish Greens is also part of the movement and adds that there should be a meeting to offer the dismissed fair conditions and payments or compensation. After all, they contribute to the billion-dollar profit.
Have there been any responses from Rockstar? So far, Rockstar has not further addressed the protests. The last statement was that employees were fired due to misconduct. It remains to be seen how the case will develop and how the developer studio will respond to the allegations.
The employees at World of Warcraft, on the other hand, have achieved what the dismissed Rockstar employees could not: they have formed their own union. Why it was urgently needed is explained here by MeinMMO: 500 employees of World of Warcraft form a union – “For Azeroth!”
