Employees impacted by the layoffs at Rockstar have staged protests outside the company's offices in London and Edinburgh
Protests orchestrated by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) took place on Thursday outside the offices of Rockstar North and Take-Two Interactive in London and Edinburgh. These demonstrations followed allegations of actions against union formation by these companies.
Fred Carter, an IWGB organizer, expressed to The Independent that the employees involved were "shocked" by Rockstar's alleged transgressions regarding employee rights to unionize. Carter claimed employees were dismissed for engaging in discussions over workplace conditions and for attempting to create a more equitable working environment where their input on game development would be valued.
Highlighting the disruption among employees, Carter described scenes of distress and confusion as workers were removed from their duties, noting significant emotional turmoil and fear among the community.
An ex-employee shared their perspective with IGN, stating they were terminated "without forewarning, supporting evidence, or opportunity to defend themselves," emphasizing their efforts were intended to foster workplace solidarity and improvement rather than harm.
IWGB reported that approximately 30 employees from the UK and Canada were terminated by Rockstar, allegedly for either being part of or attempting to form a union. In contrast, Rockstar declared actions were on a minority who allegedly discussed confidential data publicly on what was identified as the IWGB Game Workers Union's Discord channel.
The Union rebutted these claims, asserting that no confidential data was divulged beyond the organization.
On the financial front, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, released their recent financial results, revealing substantial growth in revenue and bookings.
In related news, the eagerly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 6 has been postponed again, now scheduled for November 19, 2026. Take-Two CEO, Strauss Zelnick, reassured GamesIndustry.biz, expressing confidence in the updated timeline and the ongoing efforts to perfect the upcoming game.
He emphasized that across the company, including 2K and the mobile division, they prioritize delivering top-quality interactive experiences, sometimes necessitating additional development time for refinement.
A correction was made regarding the new release date of GTA 6, stating it as November 19.