Rockstar North has dismissed 34 employees from its Edinburgh studio after discovering they shared internal company emails in a private Discord server used by union organizers. The Grand Theft Auto developer treated the sharing as gross misconduct and a breach of confidentiality agreements.
The fired workers had posted contents of internal emails about new Slack policies to the union Discord. Those emails detailed restrictions on using emojis and status messages to signal union membership or political support. The policies specifically targeted symbols like Palestine flags in Slack profiles.
According to reports from People Make Games, at least one employee photographed their work PC screen showing the policy email and used OCR technology to convert it to text before pasting it into Discord. Rockstar’s internal policies prohibit accessing or copying work emails outside company premises and sharing any internal communications on non-approved external platforms.
The dismissals came as the union organizing effort at Rockstar North was approaching a critical threshold. Under UK law, unions can seek statutory recognition when they demonstrate sufficient workforce support. Sources indicate the group was nearing the roughly 10% threshold needed to trigger formal recognition procedures.
Rockstar had recently purged its Slack workspace of social and non-work channels. The company removed spaces where employees discussed games, pets, and other casual topics. The new restrictions on emojis and status messages followed shortly after.
Management became aware of the union Discord through an internal investigation. The exact trigger remains unclear, but the company launched a probe after learning about complaints regarding the Slack changes being discussed on the external platform.
Rockstar characterized the conduct as leaking internal company communications to third-party platforms. The company classified it as gross misconduct under existing employee agreements. All 34 workers received same-day terminations.
The company has faced major gameplay leaks in the past, including the massive GTA VI leak in 2022, without similar mass firings. Critics point to this discrepancy as evidence the response was disproportionate to the actual breach.
UK employment law provides strong protections for union activity. Workers have the right to discuss working conditions with colleagues and union representatives. Company NDAs and confidentiality policies can’t legally override these statutory rights.
The case is expected to go before a UK employment tribunal. The tribunal will examine whether the dismissals were lawful and proportionate, and whether they constitute unlawful anti-union retaliation. Tribunals can order reinstatement of employees and award substantial compensation.
Legal experts note that while sharing internal emails can breach company policy, UK courts weigh this against workers’ rights to organize collectively. The tribunal will likely scrutinize whether Rockstar’s response was genuinely about confidentiality or a pretext to remove union organizers.
A key question will be proportionality. UK employment law typically requires employers to consider lesser sanctions like warnings or training before termination. Firing 34 people over sharing HR policy emails may be difficult for Rockstar to justify as reasonable.
The company could face significant financial penalties if tribunals find the dismissals were unfair or anti-union. Each worker could receive compensation, and the company might be ordered to reinstate employees and recognize the union.
The GTA VI connection
News of the firings emerged around the same time Rockstar announced a delay to Grand Theft Auto VI. Some observers have speculated the company timed the GTA VI announcement to overshadow coverage of the labor dispute.
The timing may be coincidental, but it highlights the stakes. With GTA VI representing potentially billions in revenue, Rockstar appears determined to maintain tight control over its workforce during the critical final development phase.
The case will test the boundaries of confidentiality policies versus union rights in the UK games industry. A ruling in favor of the workers could strengthen organizing efforts across other major studios. A ruling for Rockstar could chill the use of external platforms like Discord for workplace organizing.
