Support the sacked Rockstar workers

IWGB union members at Rockstar North are fighting for their jobs after mass sackings at the end of October 2025, rs21 members in Edinburgh report.

On 30 October Rockstar Games summarily sacked 31 workers at their offices in Edinburgh – all active union members. Rockstar, often abbreviated as R*, is the company behind Grand Theft Auto, the most profitable video game franchise in the world. The sackings come just months before the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, which was due for release next May 2026. It is expected to be the biggest ever game launch. Pre-sales already amount to £1 billion, and the new release is expected to bring in more than £10 billion.

The sacked workers are all members of the IWGB union’s Game Workers’ branch. Among those fired at Rockstar North in Edinburgh were union activists and representatives. None were allowed union representation, none were given notice and there had been no investigation. In a statement IWGB president Alex Marshall said: 

Rockstar has just carried out the most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry. 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.

The sacked workers are fighting back. On 6 November they held a rally outside the Rockstar building next to the Scottish Parliament. The Edinburgh rally was loud and lively. Chants of ‘Say sorry, be nice’ turned company boss Sam Houser’s words back on him. Co-workers came out of the building to listen to the speeches, an open letter was delivered to management, which called out the dismissals and asked that the sacked workers all be reinstated. It was signed by over 200 Rockstar North employees.The Edinburgh rally also saw strong support from local trade unionists with banners from the PCS and the trade unions’ communities group. On the same day supporters and game developers protested outside the London headquarters of parent company Take-Two. 

The company has since postponed the release of Grand Theft Auto VI from May 2026 to December 2026 and has denied accusations of union-busting. Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick stated that he is ‘extremely proud’ of the company’s labour relations and that they fully support Rockstar management. According to Rockstar, the sackings were justified due to gross misconduct, specifically workers ‘distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum’. What they actually refer to is union members discussing their pay and conditions on a private union-specific Discord channel that only included union members and union organisers. This is of course fully legal and protected under UK employment law, with which the mainly US management of Rockstars seems poorly acquainted. IWGB has appealed the dismissals and filed for interim relief to force Rockstar North to reinstate the workers or to put them on full pay until the employment tribunal. Meanwhile current employees at Rockstar North have spoken up against the disingenuity of their management’s narrative on online GTA forums. The famed YouTube channel People Make Games have covered the story so far and interviewed both dismissed workers and union organisers.

Rockstar has its origins in Scotland in 1997 with the development of Grand Theft Auto at the Abertay University in Dundee. It provided the catalyst for the games industry becoming an important part of the Scottish economy. In the face of a global recession in the industry activity in Scotland has continued to grow. In 2024 there were 130 games enterprises in Scotland. First Minister John Swinney hosted a global games summit in Edinburgh in September, boosting Scotland as a centre of excellence for digital innovation. So far however, there has been silence from the Scottish government on the union busting tactics of its close neighbour.

Rockstar, like other games companies, benefits from Westminster and Holyrood government support. TaxWatch UK reports that between 2013 and 2019 the company paid nothing in corporation tax while receiving £42 million in tax relief. The battle for jobs at Rockstar deserves all our support and solidarity.

The union members have called a protest outside the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 18 November, assembling at 5pm in front of Rockstar North near Holyrood. Follow the IWGB Games Workers branch for upcoming actions. Send messages of support from your union branch. Take collections around your workplace. Send donations to support the sacked workers here.