Rockstar fired unionising GTA 6 devs following Discord chat about new company Slack policy, claims report

IWGB Union brag accuses institution of "trying to govern by fear"

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A caller study claims the firing of 34 developers by Rockstar Games for alleged "gross misconduct" followed a Discord treatment which cited emails astir changes to the company's interior Slack policies. Rockstar person been accused of national busting by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain implicit the firings, with the national having filed ineligible claims against the company.

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This caller study from People Make Games cites an anonymous Rockstar insider arsenic having passed connected messages from the backstage Discord server Rockstar developers and IWGB unit were utilizing to organise, with the insider claiming they judge these messages contributed to the firings. The alleged messages successful question sermon and see snippets of substance from interior Rockstar emails concerning a alteration successful interior Slack policy, which the institution reportedly announced to unit successful the 2nd week of October this year.

According to People Make Games, the argumentation changes included the removal of miscellaneous Slack channels which unit utilized for non-work related discussions, with Rockstar allegedly claiming these had go distracting and occasionally sources of mediocre conduct. The study claims that astatine slightest 1 of the 2 emails from Rockstar astir the changes was sent retired aft 5PM UK time, with Rockstar unit reportedly lone capable to entree their enactment emails portion astatine the institution bureau during enactment hours. Some members of the Discord who were inactive successful bureau past allegedly shared accusation oregon quotes from the emails successful the server, truthful unit who'd gone location could spot and sermon them.

People Make Games assertion Rockstar absorption past became alert of these messages erstwhile astatine slightest 1 non-union subordinate of the Discord server reached retired to them to explicit concern.

I've reached retired to Rockstar for comment.

Asked astir the Discord treatment of the Slack argumentation changes by People Make Games, IWGB national president Alex Marshall said the following:

I deliberation it is perfectly mean for radical to beryllium discussing their worldly conditions, whether that's bonuses, whether that's policies, whether that's thing similar that. That's wholly mean for unit to beryllium doing that and for an leader to respond successful a mode that comes down truthful hard connected that shows not lone that they are governing by this deficiency of transparency, but they're besides trying to govern by fear. They consciousness wholly threatened by the thought of workers talking to each different and that's wherefore they've taken this enactment to effort and destruct the union, decimate immoderate signifier of benignant of solidarity being built betwixt workers.

Earlier this month, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine raised the contented of the firings successful UK Parliament, revealing that she'd written to Rockstar asking for accusation astir the contented and requesting a gathering with a applicable curate successful the hopes of discussing what enactment whitethorn beryllium offered to affected staff.