Rockstar Accused of Union-Busting After Mass Developer Layoffs
▼ Summary
– Rockstar Games fired 30-40 staff members who were allegedly involved in union activities, with the company citing gross misconduct as the reason.
– The terminated developers worked across multiple disciplines and offices in Canada and the UK and were part of a private union chat group on Discord.
– Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, stated it fully supports Rockstar’s actions and claims the firings were solely for misconduct.
– The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain president condemned the firings as a severe act of union busting and a disregard for workers and the law.
– In a separate statement, Take-Two’s CEO asserted that AI cannot replicate the creativity required for projects like GTA 6, as it lacks inherent creative capability.
Rockstar Games, the studio behind the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, faces serious allegations of union-busting following the sudden dismissal of dozens of its developers. The company terminated the contracts of between 30 and 40 employees, all of whom were reportedly engaged in union organizing efforts. Rockstar maintains the firings were due to gross misconduct and unrelated to any union activities.
Reports indicate the affected developers worked in various roles across the company’s offices in Canada and the United Kingdom. These individuals were allegedly members of a private Discord chat group used for union discussions. Many were either already part of the union or in the process of organizing within the company when their employment was terminated.
A spokesperson for Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, stated the developers were let go exclusively for “gross misconduct, and for no other reason.” The spokesperson emphasized the company’s full support for “Rockstar’s ambitions and approach” regarding the matter.
In a strongly worded response, the president of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain condemned Rockstar’s actions as “one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry.” He characterized the company’s behavior as showing “flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions,” describing it as an insult to both fans and the global gaming community.
Rockstar has chosen not to issue any public statement addressing either the terminations or the union-busting accusations. This controversy emerges alongside recent comments from Take-Two’s CEO about artificial intelligence in game development, where he suggested AI fundamentally lacks the creative capacity to produce something comparable to Grand Theft Auto 6.
(Source: Euro Gamer)
