Rockstar Firing Controversy
A new report has provided further context into the circumstances surrounding the high-profile firing of 34 Rockstar Games employees in October. The dismissions, which the company attributed to “gross misconduct” related to leaking confidential information, have been the subject of significant controversy and allegations of union-busting.
According to a new investigation by People Make Games, a YouTube channel focused on labor issues in the industry, the fired employees were part of a private Discord server where they engaged in discussions about workplace policies.
The report, citing a source with knowledge of the server, states that employees were comparing salaries and bonuses. In the UK, such discussions are protected under the Equality Act 2010, which allows workers to share pay information to uncover potential discrimination.
The conversations reportedly began after Rockstar management removed several non-work-related channels from its internal Slack platform, including those for pets, music, and gaming. The company stated these channels caused distractions and unprofessional behavior, but employees saw the move as damaging to morale.
The report further claims that the Discord server was used to share the contents of a company email that outlined these new Slack policies. Because the email was sent after business hours and could only be accessed in the office, many employees had not seen it, leading to its dissemination in the private server. The report suggests that the sharing of this internal email may have been cited by Rockstar as a breach of company policy.
This situation escalated when, according to the report, a member of the Discord server brought the discussions to the attention of Rockstar management, prompting an internal investigation that concluded with the termination of the 34 workers.
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The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which is supporting the fired employees, has called the dismissals “one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting” and has taken legal action against Rockstar, demanding the workers be reinstated.
Rockstar Games has not publicly commented on this latest report. The situation highlights the ongoing tensions in the video game industry regarding worker organization and corporate communication.