Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games have been busy. GTA 6 was delayed yesterday, information that broke alongside Take-Two’s quarterly earnings name. And simply final week, Rockstar fired between 30 and 40 workers, claiming later that they had been “distributing and discussing confidential data in a public discussion board” towards firm coverage. The fired workers, nevertheless, say they had been collaborating in a union-related Discord chat, and that their firing was “blatant” and “ruthless” union busting.
Amid all this, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick is defending the corporate’s tradition and labor report, saying Take-Two is “extremely proud” of its labor relations.
Chatting with IGN yesterday forward of the earnings announcement, Zelnick pointed me to Take-Two and Rockstar’s present public statements after I requested if he had any response to the allegations of union busting, and reiterating that “we totally assist Rockstar.”
So then I requested Zelnick, what’s Take-Two’s stance on unions, usually? Zelnick didn’t reply to that particular query. However here is what he did say:
“Right here’s what we have now a stance on. We worth each one of our colleagues significantly. We’ve 13,500 colleagues worldwide. We’re so proud of our tradition. In the previous few years we’ve been acknowledged over 15 occasions as an employer of alternative… we’ve been licensed this yr as an amazing place to work within the U.S. and UK, Forbes just lately known as us one of the world’s greatest employers, and additional… our attrition fee is half or much less of the business common. To be particular, our world attrition fee is simply over 6%, within the UK it is lower than 4%. The business common is over 12%, and Rockstar is even decrease than our common.”
“So, , the proof is within the pudding, and the meals is nice, and I feel our tradition is extraordinary. And we attempt to be probably the most inventive, most modern, and best firm within the enterprise. In order that’s how we glance at it. We’re extremely proud of our labor relations.”
[A Take-Two spokesperson later clarified Rockstar’s global attrition rate is 4%, and in the UK it is “half that number.” IGN followed up to ask for the source of the over 12% industry average attrition. The spokesperson clarified it was for “entertainment and tech” and that the source was Take-Two’s own internal research: “we use a variety of related data platforms/sources to compile.”]
Zelnick’s response comes amid ongoing uproar over the firings, with affected workers and supporters picketing exterior Rockstar and Take-Two’s UK workplaces yesterday. In line with the Impartial Employees Union of Nice Britain (IWGB), the one non-Rockstar individuals contained in the personal union Discord had been union organizers. IWGB boss Alex Marshall issued IGN the next assertion:
“Rockstar proceed to deflect from the actual purpose for these dismissals: they’re afraid of exhausting working employees privately discussing exercising their rights for a fairer office and a collective voice. Administration are exhibiting they don’t care about delays to GTA 6, and that they’re prioritising union busting by focusing on the very individuals who make the sport.
“In recent times, Rockstar executives have benefited from £443 million in tax aid, whereas exhibiting complete disregard for the regulation or the livelihoods of their employees. At each flip, they’ve chosen earnings over each staff and followers of their video games. The one non Rockstar workers within the union Discord channel had been union organisers.”
Rockstar maintains that the firings had been for “gross misconduct, and for no different purpose.”
This is not the primary occasion of labor unrest at the corporate. Final yr, the studio requested workers to come back to the workplace 5 days per week, citing a want for each elevated productiveness and safety following a large leak of the in-development GTA 6 in 2022 and the day-early launch of GTA 6 Trailer 1 the next yr. The choice was criticized by staff affiliated with the IWGB, who stated Rockstar broke guarantees with the pressured return to workplace, and accused the studio of refusing to have interaction with staff on the difficulty.
GTA 6 is now scheduled for launch on November 19, 2026.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Yow will discover her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Acquired a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.