In the high-stakes, high-security world of developing Grand Theft Auto 6, the knives are apparently out.

This isn’t just about code; it’s a messy, public battle between Rockstar Games, its parent company Take-Two Interactive, and a group of recently fired employees. The company claims it caught staff leaking secrets. The union representing those workers? It’s crying foul, alleging “blatant” and “ruthless” union busting.

What we know: two sides, two stories

On the surface, it’s a standard, if sharp, corporate statement. Last week, between 30 and 40 Rockstar employees in the UK and Canada were abruptly fired.

At the time, Take-Two kept its language vague, telling outlets the terminations were for “gross misconduct, and for no other reason.“

But the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) immediately raised the alarm. According to the union, this wasn’t a random sampling. The fired workers were all reportedly part of a private trade union chat group on Discord and were either union members themselves or were actively trying to organize their colleagues at Rockstar.

For the IWGB, the math was simple. This wasn’t about misconduct; it was about stopping a union.

The plot twist: the “public forum”

Now, the story has gotten more specific, and frankly, more confusing.

In a new statement to Bloomberg, Take-Two added a critical accusation. The company now insists the fired staff had been caught leaking company secrets.

“Last week, we took action against a small number of individuals who were found to be distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies,” the Take-Two statement read. “This was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities.”

Here’s where it gets messy. The IWGB flatly rejects this. According to the union, the group in question was the private union Discord server. They claim the only non-Rockstar people in that “forum” were official labor organizers.

This creates a massive discrepancy. Is a private, vetted Discord server for organizing labor a “public forum”? Take-Two seems to be arguing yes. The IWGB is arguing that this is a flimsy, bad-faith pretext to punish workers for organizing—which is a legally protected activity.

The big context: why Rockstar is so paranoid

To understand why Rockstar might be so trigger-happy about “leaks,” you have to remember its last few years. The studio has been running one of the leakiest ships in gaming, and it’s clearly scarred.

1. The mother of all leaks (2022): First, there was the massive, disastrous 2022 breach where a hacker released over 90 clips of in-development GTA 6 footage. It was an unprecedented look behind the curtain. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick called it “terribly unfortunate,” adding, “it causes us to be ever more vigilant on matters relating to cybersecurity.”

2. The trailer fiasco (2023): Then, just last year, the entire internet waited with bated breath for the official debut of GTA 6 Trailer 1. It leaked a day early, forcing Rockstar to scramble and release the official version ahead of schedule, ruining a carefully orchestrated marketing moment.

This history of leaks is the exact reason Rockstar gave for one of its most controversial recent decisions.

The return-to-office connection

This labor dispute didn’t start last week. It’s been simmering ever since Rockstar mandated a full, five-day-a-week return to the office earlier this year.

What was the company’s stated reason for ending remote work? Productivity and security.

Rockstar workers, particularly those affiliated with the IWGB, were furious. They accused the company of breaking promises on remote and hybrid work and of refusing to engage with them on the issue.

Now, look at the timeline:

1. Rockstar has massive leaks.
2. Rockstar, citing “security,” forces everyone back to the office.
3. The union (IWGB) and its members publicly protest this forced RTO policy.
4. Rockstar fires a group of employees, all of whom are IWGB members or organizers.
5. Rockstar’s reason for the firing? Leaking “confidential information.”

The union argues this is a clear pattern of retaliation. The company insists it’s just protecting its intellectual property.

All of this is happening under the shadow of the biggest entertainment launch in history. Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently slated for release in the fall of 2025 (or maybe in 2026). As the development team enters its final, critical year, it’s now also grappling with a major internal labor war, where trust between management and a vocal part of its staff appears to be completely broken.