Developers that were fired by Rockstar Games last week have protested outside of the main GTA 6 development studio once again. This time, we have photos, videos and showing crowds of people supporting those who lost their jobs last Thursday. There’s even dozens of GTA and Rockstar themed banners that were made to spread the message. The noise made by these developers and union members has now been heard by politicians.
Taking A Look Outside Rockstar’s Office
In the afternoon on November 6th, a crowd of people protested outside of Rockstar North’s office located at Barclay House in Edinburgh. Those in attendance included developers, union organisers, supporters and more. The gathering held signs and banners up high to spread the message to passers by. The protest initially was stated to last 1 hour but it ended up being more than 2 hours.
The signs contained plenty of aptly Rockstar-themed messages. “The Pinkertons salute you” refers to the villainous agency from Red Dead Redemption 2. “Say Sorry, Be Nice!” is a line that has become a tagline of sorts for Rockstar over the past two decades appearing in games, on merch and in the current community guidelines. “Say sorry! Be nice! Stand up for workers’ rights!” was also chanted by the protesters.
“UNION BUSTED?” in the classic GTA font and more could also be seen. The IWGB had a banner saying “We Got Union Busting Before [REDACTED]; a reference to the we got X before GTA memes.
“We have been gathering signatures for an open letter which will be delivered to management. (…) We have 2 very clear demands: reinstatement with full compensation for lost payment for every worker fired and a clear commitment (…) – IWGB
GTA 6 Developers Speak Out
GTA Base were able to speak with a few individuals taking part in the protest who had worked on GTA 6. According to one of them, they were “brought into a meeting on Thursday morning – it was framed as a catchup and in that meeting I was told I was being fired. No evidence was provided and I was asked to leave the building.”
Political Power
With the union calling this illegal and an unrelenting push for reinstatement, it’s no surprise people higher up the chain are starting to notice. GTA Base managed to speak with Scottish Parliament member Ross Greer. He had this to say on the matter:
“Green MSPs are going to ask Parliaments’ culture committee to look into this because Rockstar are one of Scotland’s biggest economic and cultural success stories, but it’s the workers who create that success – not the bosses. This is a company whose sh*tty employment practices have been known for a long time so the Scottish Greens are more than happy to stand with the workers to get what they’re due.” – Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland
Another Protest
Earlier this morning, the IWGB held a protest outside of Take-Two’s London office. Despite a small crowd, there was plenty of activity and noise. Employee statements were read on megaphones as flares filled the air with smoke. The pavement right outside the front entrance to the office was covered in chalk-written messages.
One fun sign that could be spotted is “All you had to do was follow the damn law, Rockstar” complete with Big Smoke’s hat. This is an obvious call back to the iconic line from GTA San Andreas. You can find photos of the protest below via the IWGB’s Instagram.
On Monday, SAG-AFTRA, the large actors union, also joined in supporting the ex-Rockstar staffers. Plus, the UTAW shared a statement backing the affected workers.
In other Rockstar Games and Edinburgh news, the company are sponsoring a yearly triathlon event once again. Learn more about it here. Be sure to stay tuned to RockstarINTEL for all the latest news on Rockstar Games and GTA VI.
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