Rockstar might be facing quite a problem. Because the layoffs at the GTA 6 developer of over 30 employees are now being examined by the British Prime Minister.
A few weeks ago, we reported that there had been some terminations without notice at Rockstar, the developer behind GTA 6. More than 30 employees had to pack their things and were escorted out by security.
The case made waves as quickly the accusation arose that Rockstar had fired employees because they wanted to join a union. The developer, on the other hand, stated with a slight delay that there were other reasons for the layoffs, namely “gross misconduct,” which was ultimately attributable to Discord chats – but that was apparently not very convincing. Because now even the British Prime Minister is concerned about the case and has expressed his “concern.”
What has the British Parliament done? As IGN reports, the layoffs at Rockstar became a topic in the British Parliament. Chris Murray, a Member of Parliament and responsible for the area where Rockstar is based, directed his questions to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and stated:
The video game company Rockstar in my constituency has fired 31 employees in the last month without evidence or union representation. The [Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain] accuses [Rockstar] of union-busting. I have met with Rockstar and they failed to convince me that they were following employment laws and I share the concerns about the union-busting.
In light of the fact that this government is for the greatest improvement of workers’ rights in a generation, does the Prime Minister agree that all companies, no matter how large their profits, must adhere to the employment laws of the United Kingdom and that all workers should be allowed to join a union?
Prime Minister Starmer then stated that he finds the incident “extremely concerning” and will look into it more closely.
Rockstar wanted NDA from the Parliament members
How did the meeting with Rockstar go? IGN subsequently requested a statement from Murray, which revealed some additional details that make the case even more curious. Because when Murray, together with two other Members of Parliament, wanted to visit Rockstar, he described the meeting as follows:
The meeting began with us as Members of Parliament being denied entry unless we signed a non-disclosure agreement. Something they only withdrew after we made it clear that we would not sign it.
Such non-disclosure agreements (“NDA – Non-disclosure agreement”) are standard in the video game industry, but appear extremely curious when politicians want to inform themselves about accusations and incidents. But the actual meeting afterwards also seemed to cast Rockstar in a bad light, as Murray further explained:
The meeting only reinforced my concern about why Rockstar fired so many of its employees. I was not convinced that they were paying enough attention to the employment laws of the United Kingdom, I was not convinced that this action was necessary and, alarmingly, I was not informed about what exactly these 31 individuals had done that would justify their immediate dismissal.
The case will therefore continue for a while and could have some consequences for Rockstar, even if only transitional payments to the dismissed employees if the allegations lead to a verdict. All of this does not cast a good light on the developer behind GTA 6, which is scheduled to be released in November 2026 and is already predisposed to become one of the best-selling games of all time – but some employees work in fear
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