Rockstar Games has reportedly fired 40 staff members for allegedly planning to unionise. The studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series has come under fire from The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which described the move as “the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry”.
Take-Two Interactive – and by extension 2K Games, which it owns – backed Rockstar’s decision, claiming that the developers were dismissed for sharing confidential information.
However, IWGB president Alex Marshall accused Rockstar of using that as an excuse.
“They are afraid of hardworking staff privately discussing exercising their rights for a fairer workplace and a collective voice. Management is showing they don’t care about delays to GTA 6, and that they’re prioritising union busting by targeting the very people who make the game,” Marshall was quoted as saying.
As a result, Rockstar’s biggest release, Grand Theft Auto VI, has been delayed from May to November 2025.
The games industry has long struggled with a toxic culture of overwork and crunch periods to meet deadlines. Unionising offers employees a means to push back against exploitation and demand fair treatment. Rockstar’s alleged anti-union stance – not its first, according to past reports – sets a worrying precedent for the industry. It raises a critical question: is the games industry worth working for if basic rights like unionising threaten those in power?
Short beats
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Square Enix has laid off most of its US and European divisions as part of a major restructuring exercise.
Indie title Ball x Pit has sold over 750,000 copies since its launch last month.
Op-Ed
We discuss the recent Roblox news in Malaysia and recap local gaming events in our latest video.
Games out this week
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment – a new action title set in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild universe, developed by Koei Tecmo.
Football Manager 26 – the latest instalment in Sega’s football management simulation series, featuring new teams, updated mechanics, and expanded customisation options.
Dead Static Drive – a top-down survival horror game with driving elements, best described as Grand Theft Auto meets Cthulhu.
Dispatch episodes 5 & 6 – the latest instalments in the PC and PlayStation 5 superhero adventure series, following ex-superhero Robert Robertson as he works as a dispatch handler for a hero team.
Recommended viewing
Jim Caddick hosted a TED Talk titled “How Creating Content Can Kill Creativity”, exploring how algorithms, platform pressures, and competition can stifle originality. Watch it here.
