Inside Rockstar Games’ Layoff Firestorm: Is This Union Busting?
Rockstar Games faces union busting accusations after reportedly cutting 30–40 jobs in its UK and Canadian offices this week—just as GTA VI targets a May 2026 launch.
Rockstar is back in the headlines, and not for a GTA VI trailer. The studio and its parent company, Take-Two, are being accused of union busting after a wave of layoffs this week. With GTA VI locked in for May 2026, the timing is... not subtle.
What happened
The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) says Rockstar dismissed between 30 and 40 employees on October 30, 2025. The cuts reportedly hit staff in the UK and Canada and, according to the union, everyone let go was either already a member of a union or trying to organize. One detail that jumps out: IWGB claims all of the fired employees were part of a private Discord used for union discussions.
Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported the allegations, which were quickly amplified on social media. The accusation is straightforward: the firings were meant to derail organizing inside the company.
"One of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry."
That is how IWGB president Alex Marshall described the move. He also accused Rockstar of showing "flagrant contempt for the law" and said the union will pursue every legal avenue to get those workers reinstated.
Rockstar and Take-Two push back
Take-Two and Rockstar flatly deny the union-busting claims. Alan Lewis, Take-Two's head of global corporate communications, said the terminations were "for gross misconduct, and for no other reason." He added that the company aims to provide "positive work environments and ongoing career opportunities" and that Take-Two "fully supports Rockstar's ambitions and approach."
Neither company has detailed what the alleged misconduct was. That vacuum has sparked the usual speculation about internal security issues, especially given Rockstar's rough history with leaks, including the big GTA VI leak in 2022. Worth stressing: that link is speculation, not something the companies have confirmed.
The wider context
It has been a brutal year for games industry jobs across the board. Amazon, Microsoft, and Take-Two have all cut staff in 2025, often blaming post-pandemic overhiring and restructures. Against that backdrop, GTA VI is targeting May 2026, and just days before these firings, a fan account posted "7 months to go" on October 27, 2025. Whether coincidence or not, it certainly makes the optics messier.
Quick timeline
- Oct 27, 2025: A widely shared post says "7 months to go" for GTA VI, lining up with a May 2026 release window.
- Oct 30, 2025: IWGB says 30–40 Rockstar employees in the UK and Canada are dismissed; the union claims they were organizing and chatting on a private Discord.
- Oct 31, 2025: The allegations spread across social media, with posts citing Bloomberg's reporting. Take-Two and Rockstar deny union busting and say the firings were for "gross misconduct."
What comes next
IWGB says it will pursue legal action in both the UK and Canada and is pushing for reinstatement of the affected workers. Rockstar and Take-Two are holding the line on the misconduct defense and have not provided specifics.
The obvious question: does this brush up against GTA VI's schedule? There is no evidence of that right now. But the studio is heading into a high-stakes stretch, and this kind of internal turmoil rarely helps anything. If we get concrete details on what the misconduct actually was, or how the legal challenges shake out, I will update.