Developers dismissed by Rockstar Games have spoken up amid their protest, with some of the now-former GTA 6 devs arguing they just “wanted to finish” the game.
On November 1, 2025, Rockstar Games dismissed 30-40 employees across its UK and Canada studios for “gross misconduct.”
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier heard from The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, who claimed the firings were to prevent unionization efforts. Days later, Rockstar provided a comment, stating those let go were fired for “leaking company secrets.
“This was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities,” the spokesperson said.
Since the firings, impacted developers and those from nearby studios have been protesting. People Make Games attended one day of the protests now happening outside of Rockstar’s Edinburgh office, following in stride with those protesting outside the UK office as well. At this protest, select devs were interviewing, with some saying they just “wanted to finish what we were working on.”
Dismissed GTA 6 devs fire back at Rockstar
“I was not even allowed to say goodbye,” one impacted employee said, reflecting on nine years with Rockstar Games. “I was in complete shock.
“Shocked that the company which I had given so much of my labor, my passion, my creativity, my care, myself, would kick me out the door so aggressively.”
Another dismissed dev explained how Rockstar’s justification could hinder their future in the games industry, stating that having “gross misconduct” on their CV “for the rest of [their] life is a huge detriment to any future career prospects.”
Jordan, an employee who spent 11 years at Rockstar, described it as having gone through the various stages of grief. “We were trying to do things in a way that doesn’t ruffle feathers,” he said of the unionization efforts. “We thought we could build a better workplace.”
31 workers in the UK and 3 in Toronto were impacted, according to accounts from People Make Games. The vast majority hope to be reinstated in their roles to continue work on the highly anticipated GTA sequel.
A legal claim has been submitted, so at this stage, the ball is in Rockstar’s court. “These are workers who just want to go back to work, to work on a game they love,” a member of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain said.
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