The publisher behind GTA is being sued after firing between 30 and 40 staff for allegedly sharing company secrets on social media forums.
On 5 November, a spokesperson for Rockstar Games stated that it had let 'a small number of people' go after they were found to be 'distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum,' with many speculating that they had been caught discussing details of GTA 6.
The publisher went on to say these actions were a 'violation of our company policies', amounting to gross misconduct, adding: "This was in no way related to people's right to join a union or engage in union activities."
Despite this, a UK trade union has doubled down on claims that the staff were allegedly fired for unionising.
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The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has deemed the dismissals 'unacceptable and unlawful' and has even launched a legal claim against the company.
IWGB, which was the first union to organise people in the gaming industry, alleges that the firings amount to victimisation and collective dismissal linked to trade union activity; however, Rockstar has denied these claims.
IWGB's legal team said in a statement: "We are representing employees who were dismissed by Rockstar Games in circumstances that we believe amount to victimisation and collective dismissal linked to trade union activity.
"Despite our representation and attempts to meet with Rockstar to resolve the matter through negotiation, Rockstar have declined and persisted to terminate members of the union in a manner that is unacceptable and unlawful.
"Accordingly, we have now issued formal legal claims against Rockstar on behalf of the Claimants."
IWGB president Alex Marshall said he was confident that the dismissals had been 'plain and simple union busting'.
"Employers like Rockstar would do well to understand that private spaces such as trade union Discord servers have protections, and that their company's contractual clauses do not supersede UK law," he added.
"This case stands as a warning to any employer in the games industry and beyond who thinks they are able to act with impunity against organised workers - we will not be intimidated."
Meanwhile, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, has previously backed the dismissals, claiming the developers were fired for 'gross misconduct, and for no other reason'.
The news comes as GTA 6's release date has been pushed back for a further six months, with it now being scheduled for release in November 2026.
LADbible Group has contacted Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, for comment.
Emma Rosemurgey