Professed Grand Theft Auto 6 developer says the only ‘gross misconduct’ at Rockstar Games is an alleged anti-union campaign

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Rockstar Games is currently facing a lot of scrutiny. Recent issues include the postponement of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI, and allegations of attempts to discourage unionization. Overall, the company has been receiving negative attention lately.

We’re now hearing more evidence that the attempts to discourage unionization we discussed a few days ago are actually happening.

This news comes from someone claiming to be an employee, and their identity has been confirmed by moderators at the GTAForums.com website.

Fearing job loss, the employee posted under a pseudonym, as if they had no other option.

“Hey everyone, R* Employee of many years here!

I’ve been following the conversation about the recent layoffs – over 34 of my coworkers were let go last week (31 in the UK and 3 in Canada) – and I’m worried about the amount of false information spreading. It’s especially troubling to see so many people accepting the company’s explanations without question.

Later on, a site administrator from Spider-Vice—a highly-ranked member of the GTA Forums staff—confirmed the employee’s identity.

The employee explained that last week, HR contacted each of their studio colleagues individually, asking for a brief, casual conversation. When they met with HR, each person was given an envelope containing a letter informing them their employment was being terminated for “gross misconduct” related to posts they’d made on Discord.

When asked for evidence, they provided none, and the letter contained no supporting information. They also didn’t offer any explanation for their actions. Furthermore, they refused to have a union representative present during the disciplinary meeting – a violation of UK employment law – and were quickly escorted from the studio, with the entire meeting lasting under five minutes.

When you put it that way, it sounds pretty serious. UK law, specifically Section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999, actually gives workers the right to have someone represent them during meetings that could lead to disciplinary action, warnings, or even being fired. However, it’s important to note that these particular employees weren’t members of a union yet.

As an analyst, I’ve been following the situation with the recently terminated UK-based employees, and it’s become clear they’re attempting to form a union with the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB). However, based on my understanding of UK labor law, this action is, unfortunately, not permissible.

The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act of 1992 outlines this very outcome.

An employee’s dismissal is considered unfair if it’s because they are, or planned to become, a member of an independent trade union, or because they participated, or intended to participate, in its activities at a reasonable time. This applies even if there was more than one reason for the dismissal; the main reason is what matters.

Okay, so if this employee’s claims are accurate, Rockstar is definitely facing a lawsuit – no question about it. But honestly, even though it *seems* like a pretty open-and-shut case, I worry that Rockstar, being such a huge company, could just use their resources to intimidate the person bringing the case and essentially win through sheer power. It’s frustrating, because it doesn’t always feel like a fair fight.

Companies with deep pockets can often drag things out and cause significant problems, even making large lawsuits stall and eventually fail. It’s unclear if Rockstar Games thinks it can actually win this legal battle, or if they believe even losing will discourage their employees from forming a union in the future.

Now that companies like Microsoft are embracing unionization, even within recently acquired studios like Zenimax, Rockstar Games is facing a particularly difficult moment. It’s hard to understand why they would try to prevent a small group of employees from forming a union, especially with the release of Grand Theft Auto VI just a year away. It seems like a counterproductive move.

Considering Grand Theft Auto V has earned approximately $9 billion, Rockstar Games likely has plenty of funds available for the release of GTA VI. Although development costs are rumored to be between $1 and $2 billion, analysts predict the new game will quickly earn that money back – some estimate around $7.6 billion within the first two months.

Does Rockstar Games truly need to prioritize saving money by avoiding a unionized workforce? As someone who works in IT and also covers the video game industry, I strongly believe the answer is no.

It’s ironic that Rockstar Games, known for satirizing corporations in its games, is now facing criticism for behavior similar to the companies it often pokes fun at. For example, one of their games, Grand Theft Auto IV, actually featured a mission where the player character disrupted a union protest, helping replacement workers get to their jobs.

It’s ironic that Rockstar Games is now facing situations mirroring the storylines from their games over ten years later.

FAQs

What is union busting?

Union busting refers to actions companies take to stop employees from forming a union. Unions typically aim to improve things like wages, benefits, and workplace conditions through negotiation.

When is GTA 6 coming out?

Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 will now be released on November 19, 2026. This is a delay from the previously planned release in May 2026.

Will GTA 6 release on PC?

Rockstar Games will launch GTA 6 exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. PC gamers will probably have to wait between one and two years before it becomes available on their platform, following the pattern of previous releases.

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2025-11-07 13:40