Rockstar Reportedly Used Slack Policy Discussions in a Private Discord Server as Grounds to Fire 34 Union Members
A new investigation from People Make Games has revealed what appear to be the actual messages behind Rockstar Games’ decision to fire 34 union members earlier this month. The findings add significant weight to accusations of union busting and contradict Rockstar’s public explanation that the employees were terminated for gross misconduct involving confidential information shared in a public forum.
On November 1, Rockstar fired 34 employees across Rockstar North and Rockstar Toronto. Within days, the IWGB union accused the company of retaliating against organized workers. Rockstar responded by denying any union targeting, stating that the employees were dismissed for sharing confidential content in a public space.
However, an anonymous employee later posted on GTAForums, alleging that Rockstar was attempting to portray a private Discord server as a public forum. According to that account, the server was limited strictly to verified Rockstar employees and IWGB members and had existed since 2022 for discussions about workplace conditions.
People Make Games’ latest report now corroborates that claim with direct evidence from a Rockstar employee who is not part of the union. According to the report, the “confidential information” Rockstar is using as justification was simply discussion about internal Slack policy changes that occurred in October.
These Slack changes included the removal of nearly all miscellaneous channels, which eliminated internal spaces for non work related conversations. Employees reportedly referred to this as The Slack Purge. Talking about these changes in the long standing, employee only Discord server is what Rockstar and parent company Take Two appear to be classifying as misconduct.
Crucially, the Discord server was not a public community. It was private, invite only and limited to verified Rockstar staff and union members. Its purpose was to allow workers to discuss conditions, which is activity that the IWGB argues is protected by UK labor law.
Following the terminations, more than 200 Rockstar employees signed a letter demanding reinstatement for their colleagues. Protests have taken place outside Rockstar’s offices in Edinburgh, London and Paris, amplifying pressure on the studio. The IWGB has also filed two legal claims against Rockstar.
People Make Games notes that while the Discord server was private, a court could still interpret it as a “public forum” simply because it was not an official company communication channel. This legal interpretation may be central to any future proceedings.
What is clear is that this situation does not involve leaks of Grand Theft Auto VI material or classified game information. Instead, it revolves strictly around discussions of workplace policy changes and how the company interprets those conversations.
The case may now set an important precedent in how off platform employee discussions are treated within the industry, especially as more studios face increased unionization efforts.
Do you think talking about internal policy changes in a private employee server should count as a public disclosure? Share your view below.
