Fired Rockstar Dev Makes Counter-Claims About ‘Leaking’ Dismissal Case

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A former Rockstar Games employee shared details on the GTA Forums – later confirmed by the site’s administrators – about the recent layoffs of over 30 staff members. While Rockstar claims these employees were fired for leaking game details on a Discord server, the actual reason may be different.

According to the user, the private Discord server—used only by Rockstar Games employees—wasn’t a source of leaks. Instead, employees were discussing forming a union to try and improve conditions at Rockstar Games.

It has been alleged that Rockstar Games fired these employees for taking part in this activity.

Former Rockstar Employees Are Lashing Out

I was reading a really upsetting post on the GTA Forums today. Apparently, Rockstar Games just suddenly let go of over 30 people in the UK and Canada, and it sounds like a lot of them were really blindsided. It’s a tough break, and the whole thing just feels really sad.

A forum user named ‘Organize’, who became a member in June, stated that Rockstar Games violated UK employment laws when they fired employees for alleged gross misconduct. Many believe these dismissals were actually a way to discourage workers from forming a union.

Last week, HR contacted each of my studio colleagues individually, asking for a brief, casual meeting – they framed it as just checking in to see if they had a moment to talk.

At the meeting, each person received an envelope containing a brief letter informing them that they were being fired for serious misconduct related to things they posted on Discord.

When questioned, they offered no proof, and the letter contained none either. They also didn’t share any further explanation or justification – offering no reason at all.

During a disciplinary meeting, employees were denied their legal right to have a union representative present. The meeting was extremely brief, lasting under five minutes, and they were quickly escorted from the studio.

Employees who weren’t present in the studio on that day were informed of their termination by a brief, less-than-two-minute phone call from HR. They were told they’d receive a similar letter to those who were informed in person. I know of one employee who had a panic attack during the call, and HR reportedly ended the call while they were experiencing it, showing no concern for their well-being.

Look, I’m really bummed about these layoffs. These weren’t just coworkers, they were dedicated people who’ve been with Rockstar for years – some for over 18! And not a single one of them ever had any issues with conduct. They were key people on the team, and honestly, losing them is going to make hitting our project deadlines way harder. It’s a big loss, and it’s going to be felt.

This team consists of highly experienced artists, animators, testers, designers, programmers, and producers – including team leads. They were all incredibly skilled and took great pride in their work on numerous Rockstar games, and their primary goal was to ensure the success of both Rockstar and their coworkers.

Several employees were absent due to illness, surgery, or parental leave. They were then dismissed without pay, resulting in job loss and financial difficulty, especially close to the holidays, and potentially jeopardizing their ability to remain working in the UK.

Just to be clear, I never saw any conversations or leaks about Rockstar’s projects on the Union Discord server. Discussions were limited to organizing efforts and working conditions at Rockstar. This Discord was private – access was restricted to Rockstar employees and representatives from the IWGB Union.

This was clearly an attempt to suppress union activity. All of those fired were union members, and many were actively involved in organizing committees at each UK studio.

The user said they were close to having enough members to formally request recognition and start negotiating as a group.

More than 34 of us have been laid off. Our Union/Employee Discord group once had over 250 members. We’re worried that if the company isn’t held accountable, they’ll continue making these cuts repeatedly.

Those of us still working are living in fear. We’re afraid to speak openly, even to each other, worried about losing our jobs. We avoid colleagues who are protesting outside, fearing consequences if we show support. The atmosphere in the studio is incredibly low, and we’ve lost all motivation and trust. Instead of feeling excited about the future, we’re completely discouraged.

The most upsetting thing is that our only goal as a union was to create a better, fairer, and safer work environment at Rockstar. That’s it. It’s now clear that we care more about the well-being of our colleagues than the company itself does.

Employees were facing problems with intense workloads, low wages, and a lack of flexible work options. Yesterday, the IWGB union and former employees protested outside Take-Two’s London office to show their disapproval of the recent layoffs at Rockstar Games.

Okay, so this totally sucks, but Rockstar just announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 is getting pushed back. I was hoping to play it in May 2026, but now we’re looking at November 19, 2026. A few more months of waiting, I guess!

Let me know what you think about these claims on the TopMob Discord server.

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2025-11-07 09:49