Things are about to get serious for Grand Theft Auto and Rockstar Games. After the Polish parliament joked about the Grand Theft Auto 6 delay, the issues surrounding Rockstar are no longer a laughing matter. The issue has escalated to the highest levels of the British government, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally weighing in and promising a ministerial investigation into what he called a deeply concerning case.
During Wednesday's session of Prime Minister's Questions in the UK Parliament, the firing of more than thirty Rockstar employees involved in the development of GTA 6 became the subject of direct questioning aimed at the nation's leader.
The situation began in October, when Rockstar terminated more than 30 employees across multiple locations, including Edinburgh, Dundee, and Lincoln in the UK, and Toronto in Canada. Those affected included senior artists, animators, quality assurance testers, programmers, designers, and producers, some of whom had worked at the company for over a decade. The dismissals were sudden, with reports indicating that affected workers were escorted from offices by security personnel without warning.
Rockstar attributed the firing to the distribution and discussion of confidential information in a public forum, a violation of company policy. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, has maintained this position, insisting the dismissals had nothing to do with union activity. However, the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain has accused Rockstar of engaging in what it describes as the most blatant and ruthless act of union-busting in the history of the video game industry. They've formally filed legal claims against Rockstar, alleging trade union victimization and blacklisting.
