According to a new report from Bloomberg and Jason Schreier, 30 to 40 Rockstar Games employees have been laid off.The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) called the sackings a “callous” act of union-busting.

Schreier said Take-Two unit Rockstar laid off dozens of employees at its U.K. and Canadian offices on Thursday.According to Kotaku, the fired employees are said to be members of a union-related private Discord server and are either already members of the union or are considering joining the union.

The British Independent Workers Union said Rockstar's move was aimed at preventing employees from forming a union.The union further pointed out that among the fired employees, many hold work visas sponsored by Rockstar or are affected by health problems and will lose necessary protections after being fired.

"Rockstar has just committed one of the most blatant and callous acts of union-busting in the history of the games industry," said Alex Marshall, president of the UK Independent Workers Union. "This blatant disregard for the law and disregard for the lives of employees who generate billions in revenue for the company is an insult to its fans and to the global industry."

However, Take-Two and Rockstar claimed that the reason for the dismissal of employees was "serious misconduct" and not for other purposes such as preventing employees from forming a union.

"We fully support Rockstar's goals and approach," Take-Two spokesman Alan Lewis said in a statement to Bloomberg.

In a separate statement provided to Kotaku, Take-Two reiterated that the employee was fired for "serious misconduct," while also highlighting the company's culture.

"We are committed to building the best entertainment products in the world by providing a positive work environment and continuous career development opportunities for top creative teams," the emailed statement read. "Our culture focuses on teamwork, excellence and goodwill... As always, we fully support Rockstar's goals and practices."

As Schreier pointed out in the report, the conflict between Rockstar and the union reached its peak in early 2024 when the company introduced a "return to the office" mandate, requiring employees to come to work five days a week.The regulation is classified as part of a "productivity improvement" initiative and is also a response to multiple information breaches and the need to strengthen security.