Rockstar Games recently let go of 34 developers, claiming they were involved in “gross misconduct” by sharing confidential information. However, the former employees argue that the company was trying to suppress union activity. A new report by People Make Games sheds light on how this situation escalated, starting with Rockstar’s crackdown on non-work-related discussions in their Slack channels.
Reports indicate that Rockstar removed several channels where employees talked about hobbies, pets, and other interests outside of work. This “Slack Purge” fueled discussions in a union Discord channel, where members talked about their working conditions but avoided discussing ongoing projects like the delayed Grand Theft Auto 6. One ex-employee mentioned that the only information shared on Discord were updates about the Slack changes themselves.
Rockstar also restricted email access. Employees couldn’t check work emails outside of the office, which led union members to share emails in Discord for transparency. This could have allowed Rockstar management to monitor past discussions, leading to the dismissals.
Interestingly, Rockstar has faced several internal leaks over the years, including a significant data breach of Grand Theft Auto 6 content in 2022. This context clarifies why the company is so strict about internal communications. Still, as the IWGB Game Workers Union pointed out, discussing working conditions should be protected under union rights.
Since the firings, affected employees have protested outside Rockstar and Take-Two’s offices, expressing their desire to return and contribute to Grand Theft Auto 6, which remains a year away from release.
According to a statement from an IWGB representative to Kotaku, the Discord was primarily for discussing organizational matters, such as Slack channel removals, not for sharing confidential project details. The statement read, “We can confirm that the Discord was only used for discussing information related to organizing.”
The situation at Rockstar is part of a larger conversation about workers’ rights and the role of unions in the gaming industry. With over 90% of game developers recently reporting concerns about job security, it’s clear this issue resonates widely.
For more insights into labor movements in tech and gaming, you can check resources like the IWGB website here.
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Grand Theft Auto VI,Rockstar Games
