The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) yesterday led protests outside the offices of Rockstar North and Take-Two Interactive in London and Edinburgh following allegations of union-busting.
Talking to Independent On the picket line outside Rockstar North, IWGB organizer Fred Carter said affected employees were “shocked” to see Rockstar “showing such blatant disrespect and disregard for workers' rights to form a union.”
“They were fired for exercising their legal right to talk to each other about their pay and conditions, to form a union in their workplace, to build a fairer and better workplace where the people who make games have a say in how they are made,” Carter said.
“People didn’t know what was happening, that their colleagues were being ripped off their desks and taken out of the building. I think, [there was] real outrage, loss, grief.”
He continued: “This week I have stood next to people while they cried, I have sat in people's kitchens because they are too afraid to talk about their work in public or outside the workplace.
“This community is in shock and anger.”
One of the fired employees said they were fired “without warning, without evidence and without the opportunity to speak for themselves.”
“We did not leak anything or try to harm the company,” they said (via IGN). “We supported each other, tried to understand our workplace and make it better.
“To lose your job because of this is deeply unfair. No one should be punished for being a union member or speaking honestly about their job.”
Last Thursday The IWGB said Rockstar has laid off around 30 employees in the UK and Canada. who were “either members of a trade union or trying to organize one.”
In response, Rockstar said it “took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum.”
This forum was reported to be the IWGB Game Workers Union Discord channel.
The IWGB stated that only non-Rockstar members of the group were union organizersand denied “that confidential information was published.”
Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive published their latest financial results yesterdayreporting significant increases in revenue and net bookings.
It was also announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 release has been delayed for the second time and is now expected to launch on November 19, 2026.
Talking to GamesIndustry.bizTake-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said he was “confident” about the new launch date.
“We're very committed to delivering the most outstanding interactive entertainment ever created, Rockstar and I are aligned on that and we love it,” Zelnick said.
“Sometimes our entire company, including 2K and our mobile business, takes many times longer to polish a game to ensure it ships in the best possible shape,” he added.
This article has been amended to correct the GTA 6 release date from November 26th to November 19th.
