The dismissal of dozens of developers who are members of the IWGB trade union led to protests in front of the Rockstar and Take-Two offices. One company employee described the atmosphere inside the studio as "at its lowest point" and criticized the management's explanations.
It became known that in early November, Rockstar dismissed more than 30 members of the IWGB trade union for "gross misconduct." Later, the company stated that the situation was related to "information dissemination."
However, the IWGB president regarded Rockstar's statement as an action against trade union activities. A day later, Rockstar announced the release of Grand Theft Auto VI would be postponed until the end of 2026.
According to Bloomberg, this decision is not related to the layoffs, but the situation could affect the development process. Employees accuse the management of dismissing them without evidence and without the opportunity to defend themselves.
According to them, the HR department summoned employees for short "interviews," after which they were handed notices of dismissal for "gross misconduct." The participation of trade union representatives in these meetings was prohibited, which violates UK labor law.
One Rockstar employee, reporting anonymously on the GTAForums platform, said that the discussions in the trade union’s closed Discord server were about working conditions and IWGB activities—not studio projects. He emphasized that the layoffs were measures targeting union activity.
The number of IWGB members recently reached 200, which allowed them to demand official recognition from the company and start negotiations on excessive workloads and wages. Now, the remaining members are worried about further dismissals and hope for intervention from outside authorities.
The IWGB trade union announced it would continue to fight for the reinstatement and rights of the dismissed employees.
