Image Credits: Luis Villasmil via Unsplash
On Thursday, Oct. 30, Rockstar Games, video game developer of award-winning franchises such as “Red Dead Redemption,” and “Grand Theft Auto,” suddenly fired between 30 to 40 of its employees. The exact circumstances as to why these employees were fired are still not clear, but according to Take-Two Interactive Software Inc, the parent company of the studio, this was due to the employees violating company policies.
Jason Schreier, writing for Bloomberg, quoted a representative for Take-Two: “Alan Lewis, a spokesman for Take-Two, said the firings were ‘for gross misconduct, and for no other reason’ and that ‘we fully support Rockstar’s ambitions and approach.’”
Although the UK and Canada do not have a strict definition of what counts as gross misconduct, it is generally defined as: “…theft, physical violence, gross negligence or serious insubordination.” However, an employee should be given the chance to respond to said allegations before being dismissed. That said, if what Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive are alleging is true, then they’d be well within their legal rights to have dismissed those specific employees.
However, the employees that were fired and the trade-union “Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain,” paint a different picture. They are alleging that Rockstar Games may have violated employment law in the UK and Canada. The day after the employees terminated, the union released a statement on their Bluesky account, calling the decision: “the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the UK games industry. Yesterday, Rockstar Games unfairly fired over 30 employees for union activity. We won’t back down, and we’re not scared—we will fight for every member to be reinstated.”
The union disputes the notion that the employees had violated company policy, as the now ex-employees were said to have been a part of a private Discord server discussing the conditions of their employment at Rockstar Games, and were either already union members, or were considering unionization. Stevie Bonifield, writing for The Verge, quoted a statement given to the website by the IWGB on Friday, Oct. 31st: “This flagrant contempt for the law and for the lives of the workers who bring in their billions is an insult to their fans and the global industry.”
If what the union is alleging is true, then Rockstar Games and their parent company Take-Two Interactive could be in serious legal trouble. In Canada, it is illegal under the Canada Labour Code to terminate employees for discussing unionization or forming one. A similar law exists in the UK, according to the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act of 1992 and the Employment Rights Act of 1996.
Since that statement was given to the press the following day on Friday, Oct. 31, both Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games have doubled down on their story that the employees committed gross misconduct. On Wednesday, Nov. 5, the company elaborated further. As reported by Schrier in another Bloomberg article: “‘Last week, we took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies,’ the spokesperson said. ‘This was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities.’”
IGN’s Rebekah Valentine tried to reach out to Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two Interactive, ahead of their recent quarterly earnings call to comment on the ongoing situation: “Zelnick pointed me to Take-Two and Rockstar’s existing public statements when I asked if he had any response to the allegations of union busting, and reiterating that ‘we fully support Rockstar.’”
Details are still forthcoming regarding the circumstances surrounding the firings and if either side will take legal action. What is curious, however, is the timing of these firings. Exactly one week after the firings were made public, Rockstar Games announced on Wednesday, Nov. 6, that “Grand Theft Auto VI,” the long-awaited sequel, would be delayed, alongside the release of its financial earnings. Although there is no evidence at the time of writing to say if the delay was caused by the firings, or if the delay announcement was to distract from the firings, it could spell long-term consequences for the development of GTA VI before and after its launch.
Kelly Baker is an alumnus from West Chester University.