GTA 6 Studio Rockstar Faces UK Parliament Scrutiny Over Layoffs, MP Seeks Support For 30-Plus Ex-Developers

Rockstar is having a week. Another Grand Theft Auto 6 delay on one side, a wave of more-than-30 layoffs on the other, and now the whole thing has landed on the floor of the UK Parliament. For a studio that usually communicates by dropping a logo and disappearing, this is... a lot.

How we got here

Rockstar says the firings happened because some employees shared confidential company information in what it describes as a public forum. The studio also insisted the decision had nothing to do with anyone trying to organize, saying it was in no way related to people’s right to join a union.

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is calling foul. Its president, Alex Marshall, says that so-called public forum was actually a private Discord server, and the chatter in question was about material conditions at the company — the kind of workplace talk that, he argues, workers are legally allowed to have. After the layoffs, fired devs and supporters protested outside Rockstar offices, accusing the company of ignoring worker-protection laws.

Now it’s a political issue

As first flagged by Eurogamer, the situation made it to the House of Commons. Christine Jardine, the Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, posted a clip on November 13, 2025 of her raising the issue, noting that more than 30 workers across the UK were sacked, including people at Rockstar North in Edinburgh.

Jardine opened by declaring an interest — she employs someone who works for Rockstar, though that person was not affected — and said several of her constituents met with her last week. According to her, they told her they were dismissed for trying to unionize and for discussing working conditions privately. Jardine contrasted that with Rockstar’s position: the company accuses those workers of distributing confidential information and fired them for gross misconduct.

She says she has written to Rockstar asking for details and also requested a meeting with the relevant minister to talk about what support can be offered to those affected.

"The sector she talks about is really important to the growth of the economy, but so too are rights at work, and successful companies are those that give decent rights and conditions at work, decent rights and conditions for the people they employ," House of Commons leader Sir Alan Campbell replied. "So, I will raise it with ministers and see what action, if any, can be taken to resolve this."

The messy part, cleaned up

To make the conflicting claims crystal clear: Rockstar says employees leaked confidential info in a public space; the union says it was a private Discord where people were talking about working conditions; the workers say they were punished for union activity; Rockstar says union rights had nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, the number isn’t small — more than 30 across multiple UK studios — and the optics of 'gross misconduct' vs. 'protected workplace discussion' are exactly why this is now getting government attention.

• GTA 6 gets delayed again.
• Rockstar fires more than 30 UK employees across its studios, including Rockstar North in Edinburgh.
• Rockstar’s rationale: confidential information was shared in a public forum; firings are not about union rights.
• IWGB’s response: it was a private Discord; the chat was about material working conditions protected by law.
• Protests pop up outside Rockstar offices; fired workers and supporters claim labor laws were ignored.
• Nov 13, 2025: MP Christine Jardine raises the issue in the House of Commons, asks for ministerial meeting; she has written to Rockstar for information.
• Commons leader Sir Alan Campbell says he will take it to ministers and see what action, if any, can be taken.
• GamesRadar+ has asked IWGB for comment; no response yet.
• Side note: GTA 6’s delay was also debated in Poland’s parliament days earlier. This saga is traveling.

None of this guarantees a policy change or a reversal of the firings, but it does mean this story just got a lot louder — and a lot harder for Rockstar to treat as a private HR matter.