220 Rockstar North Employees Sign Letter Demanding Fired Employees are ‘Immediately Reinstated’
Written by admin on November 14, 2025
by
William D’Angelo
, posted 6 hours ago / 1,205 Views
220 Rockstar North employees have signed a letter demanding the company immediately reinstates the 31 employees that were fired last week.
The employees, all members of the IWGB Union, believe they were fired illegally for unionizing. The union describes it as “the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry.”
“By deciding to fire more than 30 union members, Rockstar have carried out an Amazon-style act of union-busting unprecedented in the games industry,” said IWGB organizer Fred Carter. “This is a company that benefits from more than £440 million in UK tax relief, while displaying a callous and blatant disregard for both the livelihood of workers and the letter of the law.”
One staff member fired by Rockstar last week that remained anonymous stated, “It’s heartwarming to see so many of our colleagues supporting us and holding management to account – during a period where Rockstar want us to feel scared, my brave former colleagues are marching straight up to our boss’s door and demanding our voices are heard and not backing down.
“It’s clear to everyone close to this situation that this is a blatant, unapologetic act of vicious union busting. Rockstar employs so many talented game developers, all of whom are crucial to making the games we put out.”
Read the letter below:
Staff working at Rockstar North, the developers of the Grand Theft Auto game series, have delivered a letter to senior management signed by over 200 members of staff, condemning the firing of 31 employees last week that is believed to be an act of union busting. In the letter, staff demand the immediate reinstatement of their colleagues, all of whom in the UK were members of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) Union.
Last week, supporters protested in London outside Take-Two House, Rockstar’s holding company, in solidarity with the fired employees. A protest was also held outside the company’s offices on Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, where the ex-employees and current staff joined to demand reinstatement, as the culmination of a week of gatherings outside the company’s offices.
Rockstar have claimed in a public statement that the 31 members of staff were fired for leaking information in public channels, something that the IWGB has refuted, saying that workers only communicated in private and legally-protected trade union channels. The IWGB has now issued formal legal claims against Rockstar, asserting that it will pursue all avenues to ensure that members are reinstated and granted interim relief.
Further protests are planned for this Friday 7 November, starting with an 8am rally outside Take Two’s London office, followed by a protest at 4pm (CET) outside the company’s Paris headquarters, where members of STJV (Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo) will show their support for the fired workers. There will be another protest on Tuesday 18 November at 6pm outside Holyrood to coincide with a cross-party parliamentary group meeting on Scotland’s games industry.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
