Rockstar Makes More Detailed Allegations Regarding GTA 6 Developer Firings

Rockstar Games addressed the recent wave Grand Theft Auto 6 firing developers, sharpening its official explanation for why the workers were fired with more detailed allegations – all of which are denied by the unions involved in the case. The central issue in the ongoing dispute is whether GTA 6 developers were fired for trying to unionize or for giving away company secrets.

The purge at the end of October 2025 resulted in 34 terminations, with 31 employees based in the UK and the remaining three at the game maker's Toronto studio. At the time, Rockstar said that GTA 6 developers were fired for leaking company secrets through a private Discord server run by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB). The IWGB dismissed the claim as baseless and responded that the firings were a clear case of union busting. A follow-up report from People Make Games, in an interview with an IWGB official, revealed select reports may have received some GTA 6 developers fired, including the example of an employee who posted an auto-generated transcript of an email about Slack policy changes in a possible violation of company policy.

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GTA 6 developers reportedly fired for leaking 'gameplay features from upcoming and unannounced titles'

Rockstar has now indicated that the shootings had nothing to do with it GTA 6 developers discussing his recent partial ban on Slack emoticons while rejecting accusations of union-busting activities. “Rockstar Games has taken action against a small group of individuals, across the UK and internationally, who have distributed and discussed confidential information (including specific game features from upcoming and unannounced titles) in a public forum, in breach of company policy and their legal obligations,” a company representative told IGN. “Claims that these layoffs were related to union membership or activities are completely false and misleading.”

Rockstar says the Union Discord server had a journalist and a rival developer as members

Rockstar also claims that members of the IWGB Discord server included a gaming journalist and an employee of another developer. The company says only employees found to have discussed confidential information were fired, noting that there are others who spoke favorably of union membership on the server but remained employed because they were not found to have violated company policy. Rockstar also confirmed previous reports that the situation was brought to the attention of other employees who were members of the Discord server but were concerned about their colleagues' actions after seeing the alleged leaks. The case was recently highlighted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who described it as “deeply disturbing” and suggested that the British government investigate GTA 6 developer shots.

Rockstar Games has taken action against a small group of individuals in the UK and internationally who distributed and discussed confidential information (including specific game features from upcoming and unannounced titles) in a public forum.

The IWGB Union denies Rockstar's latest allegations

IWGB Communications Officer Jake Thomas denied Rockstar's latest allegations. Addressing claims that game features were leaked on the Discord server, he said the union doesn't even realize what that could mean. Regarding the mention of a gaming journalist's involvement, Thomas clarified that the person in question had previously “written a couple of articles for the paper”, but is a union representative and game worker who participated in the server in that capacity. He added that the same was true for any member of the Rockstar server's employee channel — where potential union members could learn about union membership — who was not a Rockstar employee. In a separate statement, the IWGB said Rockstar's “latest statement is full of falsehoods and misinformation,” accusing the company of trying to “reverse” the justification for the firing. GTA 6 developers citing “multiple conflicting reasons” for the October 2025 layoffs.

Rockstar responds to IWGB's response, saying it proves its point

Rockstar has since issued a response to the IWGB's counter-allegations. “As we suspected, and as evidenced by the response to our statement, they have no idea who was on that Discord,” a company representative told IGN, though without elaborating on that train of thought. The IWGB began legal proceedings against Rockstar in November 2025, calling for the reinstatement of the fired workers. The union has said it will pursue unfair dismissal claims if its demand is not met and is currently raising funds through the Action Network to support its legal challenge.