Grand Theft Auto 6s developer, Rockstar gameshas reportedly fired between 30-40 of its workers. The exact reason why the employees were fired is currently being debated, with statements from the former Rockstar Games employees and Take-Two Interactive contradicting each other.
The gaming industry has had a tumultuous year, and it's not over yet. Just a few days before this Rockstar Games news arrived, Amazon announced that it would cut 14,000 positions in its company, while Microsoft has cut thousands of jobs over the course of the year. However, they are not the only two, as this has been a widespread trend in the video game industry, and now Rockstar Games is adding to the list.
Rockstar Games is firing workers, but the reason is debated
News has surfaced that Rockstar Games laid off between 30 and 40 employees at its UK and Canadian offices on October 30. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, has claimed that the layoffs were due to “gross misconduct” and that it supports Rockstar's decision to fire the workers. However, that claim is contested by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain, IWGB. According to IWGB president Alex Marshall, all of the fired Rockstar Games workers were either in a union or trying to organize, and they also belonged to a union group on the Discord chat platform. Marshall stated that the firings were a “flagrant contempt of the law” and a “blatant and wanton act of union-busting.”
While Rockstar and Take-Two claim it's not about unions, it's not the first time major developers and publishers in the industry have been accused of such things. Companies like Activision Blizzard and Nintendo have faced such allegations in the past, though some have been proven to be false. When Dragon Age: The Veilguard was under development, all QA testers belonging to a union working on Dragon Age were dismissed. Notably, they were the first Canadian gaming industry union to exist.
Unfortunately, regardless of why these game developers were fired, they are far from the first of 2025, and likely won't be the last before the year comes to a close. Everything from a changing market to covid-era overhiring has been blamed for recent layoffs, and one of developers' latest concerns is the use of AI in game development. Many have speculated that AI may be used to take over certain responsibilities and roles within game development studios as technology advances, potentially eliminating even more jobs in 2026 and beyond.
- Date founded
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December 22, 1998
- Head office
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New York, New York, USA
- CEO
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Sam Houser
Source: Bloomberg
