Over 200 Rockstar North employees demand fired staff members be reinstated as situation is brought up in UK parliament

After Rockstar Games fired over 30 employees over alleged “gross misconduct” earlier this month, 220 staff members at its main Edinburgh studio have called upon the company to reinstate their colleagues.

The details:

• Earlier this month, Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar was accused of union-busting by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) after it fired 31 employees for allegedly leaking private company information on Discord. However, it was claimed that the Discord was used to discuss potential unionization action, resulting in the IWGB filing a legal claim accusing the company of violating UK law by blacklisting trade union members.
• The IWGB has now stated that 220 current employees at Rockstar North, the company’s main studio behind the GTA series, have signed a letter directed at its senior management, criticizing the decision and demanding that all 31 fired staff members be reinstated immediately. “By deciding to fire more than 30 union members, Rockstar has carried out an Amazon-style act of union-busting unprecedented in the games industry,” IWGB organizer Fred Carter said. “This is a company that benefits from more than £440 million in UK tax relief while displaying a callous and blatant disregard for both the livelihood of workers and the letter of the law.”
• Despite Rockstar’s insistence that the firings were not an act of union-busting, an anonymous employee, referred to as “Peter,” has said that “it’s clear to everyone close to this situation that this is a blatant, unapologetic act of vicious union busting.” Protests against the decision are also taking place outside of Take-Two’s offices in London and Paris this week, with another demonstration being held in Edinburgh.
• Rockstar’s firings have also caught the attention of politicians, with Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine bringing up the situation in the UK’s House of Commons. “Video game giant Rockstar has sacked more than 30 workers across the UK, including my constituents working at their Edinburgh office,” the MP wrote on Bluesky. “I urged ministers to support workers who have lost their jobs and stop this from happening again.”