Keir Starmer calls for investigation into questionable firings at Rockstar: ‘Deeply worrying’

The topic came up during the current hour in the British Parliament, when Labor MP Chris Murray, in the constituency of Rockstar North, asked the Prime Minister if he was aware of the allegations that 31 workers were fired without proof of guilt and without union protection. Murray said the meeting with Rockstar “didn’t convince him” that the company was complying with labor laws and that the union considered the layoffs to be union busting.

Starmer replied that the case was “deeply worrying” and emphasized that “every worker has the right to join a union” and that his government would strengthen workers’ rights to prevent people from suffering consequences just because they are union active. He added that the ministers will study the concrete case of Rockstar and report the findings to the representatives, which practically means that political and potentially regulatory pressure is being put on the studio.

On the other hand, Rockstar and the parent company Take Two claim that the dismissals have nothing to do with union organizing, but with “gross violations of work obligations” because employees allegedly shared confidential information in the Discord channel. The IWGB trade union disputes this and says that the channel discussed working conditions and trade union organization and that all those fired were trade union members, which is why they were fired. legal actions were also initiated for unfair dismissal and “blacklisting” of workers.

Protests in front of Rockstar’s offices in Edinburgh and London moreć gathered former and current workers, and more than 200 employees signed an open letter demanding the return of their colleagues to work. At the same time, the case casts an additional shadow on the period before the release of GTA 6, a game that is more once delayed and due out in November 2026, just as the studio faces accusations that it is trying to break its own union.