The developers in question wanted to form a union, but Rockstar and Take-Two are trying to suppress it.

Last week, Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar was accused of anti-union behavior after firing more than 30 employees who belonged to a Discord server related to a labor organization. The developer now claims that the employees were fired for violating company policy by sharing confidential information on a public forum. There may have been a conspiracy to reveal secrets about the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI to the press or public, but according to the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union, the employees were only talking to union organizers in a closed Discord group.

Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two, did not immediately explain why they fired the employees after the news broke last week. Initially, they only said that the employees had committed serious breaches of duty. In a statement sent to Bloomberg, Rockstar explained that the employees had disseminated and discussed confidential information in a public forum. The developer claims that the dismissals were in no way related to the employees’ right to join a union or participate in union activities. However, the IWGB claims that the employees only spoke to union organizers from outside Rockstar. Last week, the union released a statement calling the firings one of the most blatant and ruthless anti-union acts in the history of the gaming industry.

In a new statement to Bloomberg, the IWGB said Rockstar fears hardworking employees will discuss exercising their rights to create a fairer workplace and collective voice. Rockstar has faced numerous information leaks over the years, including the massive Grand Theft Auto VI leak in 2022. However, that case involved an outside hacker who accessed Rockstar’s systems, not employees posting information on Discord.

They try to keep what happened a secret, but the truth always comes out.

Source: PCGamer, Bloomberg