Rockstar Fires Employees Amid Confidential Info Leak Allegations

Rockstar Games is under fire once again, this time for accusations against employees regarding the alleged leakage of confidential information. In the previous week, the giant behind the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 allegedly dismissed between 30 and 40 of its staff. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has slammed this move as a ‘blatant’ and ‘ruthless’ union-busting technique. However, in a recent statement, Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two, firmly insisted that it dismissed the workers due to gross misconduct by revealing proprietary information.nnThe terminated employees, comprising UK and Canadian nationals, belonged to a private labor union chat group hosted on Discord, a popular communication platform. They were reported to be either union members themselves or trying to gather their colleagues at Rockstar into a union. The IWGB maintains that the primary reason for their firing pertained directly to their union activities.nnIn response, Take-Two executives issued a refreshed statement, asserting that the employees were let go due to the public distribution of confidential company secrets. In their words, the employees’ private forum discussions violated company policies, and their dismissal had nothing to do with them pursuing their right to form or engage in union activities.nnAs per the IWGB, the fired employees were participants of a private Discord union group, and the only non-Rockstar members present in it were labor union organizers. Alex Marshall, IWGB’s head, asserts that the true motive behind the employees’ termination was their privately-held discussions centered around seeking fair workplace rights, indicating management’s indifference toward the release delay of GTA 6 and its focusing on union-busting tactics.nnAll this turmoil precedes the greatly anticipated release of GTA 6 set to launch in May next year. The game has generated massive public interest, with expert predictions indicating that it might become the largest entertainment launch in history. In anticipation of the game’s release, Rockstar has kept a low profile, only releasing a few trailers and screenshots. Following a severe leak of GTA 6 content in development in 2022, the company has been concentrating on improving its cybersecurity measures.nnRecently, the game company mandated their employees to return to in-office work five days a week, citing enhanced productivity and security as reasons. This decision was met with criticism from workers affiliated with the IWGB, who claimed Rockstar reneged on its promises, compelling a return to office work, and refused to engage with workers on this issue.