Rockstar: Was There No Leak, and Were the Layoffs in England Anti-Union?

General news News 11/08/2025

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According to an anonymous Rockstar employee, there was no leak, so the company took action against unionization.

After laying off 30 to 40 employees, Rockstar was accused of anti-union practices by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB). A Rockstar spokesperson denied the allegations, claiming that the laid-off employees had leaked information on a public forum. In a new twist to the story, an anonymous studio employee spoke out on GTAForums, and a moderator allegedly confirmed the author’s identity.

According to the employee, the fired workers were ambushed by the HR department. The department called the workers in for a brief conversation and then handed them termination letters accusing them of misconduct related to Discord conversations, but the letters provided no evidence or further details about the alleged violation. Those who were physically present were reportedly fired within minutes. Those who were not in the office received a phone call lasting less than two minutes informing them that they would receive the aforementioned letter. Some of them were sick, recovering from surgery, or on family leave, and this sudden termination left them in a vulnerable financial position.

The anonymous employee says Rockstar laid off key staff, including managers, artists, designers, programmers, and producers. Many of these employees had worked at the studio for a long time and had impeccable records. He also refutes the official statement, clarifying that the Discord channel in question was reserved exclusively for discussions between employees and the union about working conditions, not for leaking games. All of those laid off were union members. The timing was clearly intended to sabotage recognition of the union, just as the group had grown large enough to begin formal negotiations for better pay and working conditions.

The post concluded with a warning that if Rockstar gets away with this, the company could repeat it without consequences. The employee also urged fans to support the dismissed workers by donating through Action Network.

Source: WCCFTech, GTAForums

Angyal Anikó

Anikó, our news editor and communication manager, is more interested in the business side of the gaming industry. She worked at banks, and she has a vast knowledge of business life. Still, she likes puzzle and story-oriented games, like Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, which is her favourite title. She also played The Sims 3, but after accidentally killing a whole sim family, swore not to play it again. (For our office address, email and phone number check out our IMPRESSUM)