Fired GTA 6 Devs Protest at Rockstar Offices as Dozens of Unionizing Staff Are Accused of Leaks

Rockstar is back in the headlines this week, and not for a trailer. Laid-off GTA 6 workers and the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain showed up outside Rockstar North and parent company Take-Two’s London office, accusing the studio of firing staff for organizing. Rockstar says that is not what happened. The result: loud protests, political attention, and a very public fight over how GTA 6 is being made.

What kicked this off

Over the last week, Rockstar has been accused of union-busting after a round of layoffs. Early accounts put the number at just over 30 people. The union now says it is 40. According to the IWGB, everyone affected was either a union member or involved in organizing at the studio.

Rockstar’s version: those employees were let go for sharing and discussing confidential company information in a public forum, which the studio says broke company policy. Rockstar is adamant the dismissals were not tied to union activity or anyone’s right to organize.

Where the lines are drawn

• The union calls it the most aggressive anti-union move the UK games industry has seen, and is demanding reinstatement and back pay.
• Rockstar says this was about confidentiality violations, not unions.
• The headcount depends on who you ask: initial reports cited 30-plus; IWGB now says 40.

On the ground at the protests

Protesters gathered outside Take-Two’s London office on November 6, chanting: "Rockstar, you are disgusting / We charge you with union busting." Signs leaned into the company’s own iconography: "Grand Theft Employment" and "All you had to do was follow the damn law, Rockstar."

One worker who spoke to the crowd said she was fired without warning, without evidence, and without any chance to respond. Supporters are pushing for reinstatement and back pay.

This wasn’t just workers and fans, either. Scottish Green Party co-leader Ross Greer joined the Rockstar North demonstration, urging the company to bring the laid-off staff back and negotiate fair pay and conditions for the people making them billions.

The union’s big swing

"Next year, Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to make upwards of $10 billion. That’s enough to end world hunger for a year. Such a flagrant attack on workers’ rights from such a valuable studio sends a very clear and shocking message to the world, that money matters more than people."

That’s from IWGB Chair Spring Mcparlin-Jones, who framed the stakes as both enormous and symbolic. Meanwhile, IWGB President Alex Marshall says the union is preparing to pursue every legal claim it can to get those GTA 6 workers reinstated.

Meanwhile, in hype land

Separate but telling: Rockstar nudged fans into full-on speculation mode with a PlayStation Store update, then quietly pulled a GTA+ ad that had people convinced GTA 6 trailer 3 was about to drop. Not related to the labor fight, but it does show how twitchy the fanbase is while all of this is happening in the background.

Bottom line: the union is escalating, Rockstar is standing its ground, politicians are now watching, and GTA 6 sits in the middle of it all. If either side blinks, expect it to happen loudly.