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GTA 6 developer Rockstar Games has been accused of leaving "lives in disarray" at a protest following the company's recent firing of over 30 employees, as protesters urge "people to think of the human cost."
Last month, Rockstar Games parted ways with over 30 employees in a move that the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) alleged was "the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the UK games industry," claiming that the move was over "union activity." Rockstar disputes this, alleging that the individuals let go were "found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum," and that "this was in no way related to people's right to join a union or engage in union activities."
Since then, IWGB president Alex Marshall has claimed that this so-called "public forum" was actually a private Discord server used to discuss working conditions at the company, and there have been protests outside Rockstar's offices by laid-off employees and supporters. In one recent protest outside Rockstar North HQ in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dexerto reports that protesters were drawing attention to the impact the recent events have had on the affected individuals.
One protester calls Rockstar "a machine that creates billions in value for its overseas shareholders in an industry rife with work exploitation, unfair practice, and unreasonable working conditions." They reportedly went on to say: "Grand Theft Auto 6 will make billions, that's not in doubt. Shareholders will get rich, fortunes will be made. But I want people to think of the human cost. The people burnt out, the careers ended, the lives in disarray."
One ex-employee, who Dexerto writes worked in the company's QA department for almost four years before he was fired, says he was "apprehensive to join" the union, noting that he feared "I could be putting a target on my back" by doing so. "No one should ever feel this way when organizing in their workplace," he states.
What's more, the ex-dev says that everyone affected by the firings "had plans that hinged on our continual employment at Rockstar," from supporting their families to relying on healthcare plans, and "plans that didn't involve the potential to be deported from the country we call home." He alleges that one dev was "unceremoniously fired while on paternity leave, just nine days after the birth of her second child," adding: "This is the human cost of this decision, the human cost that wouldn't have been considered when it was brazenly and recklessly made, because it wasn't a quantifiable number on a spreadsheet."
Last week, word of the firings reached the UK Parliament, where one MP questioned how the affected employees could be supported. At the time, the leader of the House of Commons stated that "I will raise it with ministers and see what action, if any, can be taken to resolve this."
