Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s Rockstar Games fired dozens of employees in a move that a British trade union said was designed to

prevent the workers from unionizing . The company said they were fired for misconduct . The  Grand Theft Auto maker terminated between 30 and 40 staffers across multiple offices in the UK and Canada on Thursday, according to a spokesperson for the

Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB). All of the employees were part of a private trade union chat group on Discord and were either members of the union or attempting to organize at the company, the union spokesperson said.

“Rockstar has just carried out one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry,” Alex Marshall, president of the IWGB, said in a statement. “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.”

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.”

Rockstar has doubled down on security following a massive leak in 2022 that released dozens of videos of unfinished footage from the company’s next game, Grand Theft Auto VI. In early 2024, the company was criticized by the union for asking workers to return to the office five days a week. Rockstar said the return to office decision was partly for security reasons.

Grand Theft Auto VI is slated for release on May 26, 2026 and is expected to be one of the top-selling video games of all time.

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