On October 30, 2025, Rockstar fired 31 UK employees, most at Rockstar North in Edinburgh and some at Rockstar Toronto. Rockstar and Take-Two say the staff committed gross misconduct by leaking confidential information on a Discord server confirmed as the company’s position. The IWGB union says the server was a private union channel and calls the firings union-busting reported. A year on, a tribunal is near its end and Rockstar’s UK staff are voting on union recognition the week GTA 6 launches.
What happened on October 30, 2025?
Rockstar dismissed 31 staff, per most reporting including The Register. Wikipedia counts 34: 31 at Rockstar North plus three in Toronto. Some outlets date the firings to November 2. The firings themselves are not in dispute; the reason is.
| Side | Position |
|---|---|
| Rockstar and Take-Two | Gross misconduct: staff shared confidential information in a Discord |
| IWGB | The Discord was a private union channel; the firings were victimization and union-busting |
The IWGB filed legal claims for victimization and collective dismissal reported.
Did the firings delay GTA 6?
Take-Two says no. The second delay, to November 19, 2026, came on November 6, 2025, a week after the firings. Take-Two said the two were unrelated, per Hitmarker confirmed as the company’s statement. Rockstar’s delay statement cited only polish. GamesRadar+‘s headline at the time, “Delay game, disappoint fans… all in a week’s work”, captured how the week looked from outside.
The response: letter, Parliament and legal claims
| When | What | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-Nov 2025 | More than 200 Rockstar North staff (VGC: 220) sign a letter demanding reinstatement | reported |
| Mid-Nov 2025 | UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer calls it a “deeply concerning case” | reported |
| Nov 2025 | IWGB files legal claims | reported |
| Jan 12, 2026 | A UK employment judge denies the fired staff interim relief (pay) | reported |
| Sep 10, 2026 | The tribunal hearing opens in Glasgow; it is later extended | reported |
| During hearing | Rockstar fails to strike out the blacklisting allegations | reported |
| Oct 27, 2026 | A recognition ballot is agreed after four months of talks | reported |
| Nov 12, 2026 | The ballot opens, with about 1,600 eligible staff | reported |
| Nov 17-18, 2026 | Closing submissions expected at the tribunal | reported |
| Nov 26, 2026 | The ballot closes | reported |
Is Rockstar getting a union?
Possibly, within days of launch. The recognition ballot covers about 1,600 UK staff and runs from November 12 to 26, 2026, per The Register. If it passes, it would be the largest recognized union in the UK games industry reported.
Rockstar’s head of publishing, Jennifer Kolbe, as quoted by The Register: “We go where the team goes. So if they want a union, they will have a union” confirmed. That is a notable shift from the company that fired 31 staff over a union-linked Discord a year earlier.
Other workplace reports in 2026
Two more items appear in Wikipedia’s citations, which we have not read in the original reported:
- July 1, 2026: Game Developer reports pay-inequity and crunch claims.
- September 11, 2026: IGN reports Rockstar installed privacy film after drones photographed office windows.
Leak security is the thread that runs through the firings, the 2024 return-to-office order “for productivity and security”, and the 2026 CyberLeek leaks. The background is on development history and the 2022 leak.
What we’re watching
- The tribunal’s closing submissions, November 17-18, and any ruling after.
- The ballot result after November 26.
- Whether any fired staff are reinstated.
We will add the outcomes here and to the GTA 6 timeline. The launch-week picture is in our launch week briefing.