Rockstar claims that fired GTA developers were leaking confidential information
The situation at Rockstar Games has intensified after the studio confirmed that the thirty to forty developers it recently dismissed were allegedly involved in leaking confidential information, a claim the workers’ union disputes. The terminations, which affected staff across Rockstar’s offices in Canada and the United Kingdom, sparked immediate backlash and accusations of union suppression from the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB).
Initially, Rockstar described the firings as a result of “gross misconduct.” However, in a new statement to Bloomberg, a Rockstar spokesperson clarified that the terminated employees were “found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum,” which the company stated was a clear violation of its internal policies.
The spokesperson added that the decision was unrelated to any unionization efforts, firmly denying the IWGB’s accusations of union-busting.
The IWGB, however, remains unconvinced. Alex Marshall, president of the union, issued a strong response criticizing Rockstar’s explanation:
“Rockstar is afraid of hard-working staff privately discussing exercising their rights for a fairer workplace and a collective voice. Management are showing they don’t care about delays to GTA VI, and that they’re prioritizing union-busting by targeting the very people who make the game.”
In response, the IWGB has organized protests outside Take-Two House, located at 30 Cleveland Street in London, to demand reinstatement for the dismissed employees.
While the company claims the firings were tied to unauthorized information sharing, no recent major leaks from Rockstar titles have surfaced in public forums. Communities like GTAForums, often associated with early leaks or insider discussions, have not reported any credible new content or data in recent weeks.
Still, the company’s reaction underscores its zero-tolerance policy toward leaks, especially after the infamous Grand Theft Auto VI leak that occurred on September 18, 2022, which exposed large portions of early gameplay footage. Although Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick later confirmed that the 2022 leak would not affect GTA VI’s development, Rockstar has reportedly implemented much stricter internal security measures ever since.
With Grand Theft Auto VI now scheduled to release on May 26, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, tensions are clearly high within the studio as it pushes toward completion of one of the most anticipated games in history.
Whether the recent firings are truly a matter of information security or part of a broader labor dispute remains to be seen, but the controversy has placed Rockstar under renewed scrutiny just months before the next phase of GTA VI’s marketing campaign begins.
Do you believe Rockstar’s claim that the fired employees leaked information, or is this a case of union suppression? Share your opinion below.
