10 December 2025

UK Prime Minister Comments on GTA 6 Firings

By newsgame

The late October firing of 31 Grand Theft Auto 6 developers from Rockstar Games has drawn the attention of Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the UK, who discussed the matter after an MP shared their concerns. Starmer said that the ongoing case against the GTA 6 developer and publisher was “deeply concerning” and said that ministers would look into the matter.

In late October 2025, Rockstar Games North fired 31 former staff members from the GTA 6 development team. The developer subsequently claimed that the reason for their release was due to some alleged leaks of Rockstar company secrets via a Discord server that was maintained by members of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which included union members who were not employed by Rockstar Games. Some discussions that took place in the IWGB Discord pertained to union resources and discussions about pay and working conditions with various companies. Before the firings took place, Rockstar Games purged several sections of its Slack server as a way to avoid “distractions” while at work.

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Rockstar Draws the Attention of the Prime Minister

After Rockstar explained its reasons for the GTA 6 staff firings and denied claims that it was engaged in union-busting, a British government official shared their concerns with the Prime Minister. Chris Murray, the local MP of Rockstar North’s Edinburgh office, discussed the Rockstar situation with Starmer on December 10. Murray said that he had previously met with Rockstar North after the IWGB’s accusations of union-busting came to light. Murray said, “Having met Rockstar, they failed to reassure me they are following employment law and I share concerns about union busting.” After Murray asked him if all companies must follow UK employment law, Starmer said, “It’s a deeply concerning case.” Starmer stated that every worker has the right to join a trade union, and that he would have ministers look into the Rockstar case going forward.

Weeks after the 31 former GTA 6 staffers were fired, the IWGB filed legal claims against Rockstar Games and accused the company of union-busting. The IWGB sided with the former members of the GTA 6 development team who said they were let go from their posts for trying to unionize. The union claimed that Rockstar Games dismissed and blacklisted its former staffers unfairly. The IWGB said that the legal claims would go towards monetary compensation and relief against Rockstar, and that the union would use various barristers, caseworkers, and legal officers to back up its case. As of this writing, the IWGB’s legal claims case against Rockstar is an ongoing matter.

The Aftermath of Rockstar’s Actions

In the aftermath of Rockstar Games’ controversial firings, several former staffers and union activists protested outside Rockstar’s office in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 6. Days later, on November 13, the IWGB reported that 220 Rockstar employees signed a joint letter addressed to the company’s management to demand that Rockstar reinstate the 31 former GTA 6 staff members immediately. The letter was followed up with more protests outside Take Two’s London and Paris offices on November 14, alongside another protest outside Rockstar North’s Edinburgh office on November 18. However, Rockstar remained firm in its decision to fire the 31 former staffers.

The firings happened just days before Rockstar announced that GTA 6 would be delayed to November 19, 2026, as the company claimed that the project needed more polish to meet the standards of its fans. While Rockstar Games denied that the delay and the firings were connected, Take-Two’s stocks plummeted by nearly 10% following Rockstar’s choice to push back GTA 6‘s launch by six months. Given that the case against Rockstar by the IWGB is an ongoing situation, it remains to be seen how the situation will play out in the long term.