Rockstar Games recently terminated approximately 30 to 40 employees, triggering major controversy behind its upcoming title Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6). According to overseas media outlet Notebookcheck, the company states the dismissals were due to employees leaking confidential information on a Discord server — but union representatives insist it was actually an act of “union-busting” that may be tied to the game’s release delay.

The incident first emerged on October 31, when Rockstar announced the termination of multiple employees on grounds of “serious misconduct”. Meanwhile, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) responded by claiming the company was actively preventing workers from forming a union.

Facing external scrutiny, Rockstar stated its parent company, Take‑Two Interactive, said the dismissed employees “disseminated and discussed company confidential information on a public forum, violating company policy.”

According to journalism from Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, Rockstar emphasises that this action is unrelated to unionizing efforts. However, IWGB President Alex Marshall asserts the employees’ Discord channel was strictly for internal discussion of workplace conditions (only labour organisers were present) and that “Rockstar’s explanation is a pretext — their real aim is to suppress union formation.” He argues the company “clearly doesn’t care about the delay of GTA 6; they are willing to sacrifice project schedule to repress the workers who actually develop the game.”

Rockstar has long been known for stringent anti-leak measures. As reported by Game Rant, employees must sign extremely strict NDAs, office security is tight, and teams are deliberately segmented to minimise the risk of information leaks.

The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.