Rockstar Games says the dozens of staff who were fired for gross misconduct had “distributed and discussed confidential information in a public forum, in breach of company policy and their legal obligations.”

Last month we learned that Grand Theft Auto giant Rockstar’s recent dismissal of 31 staff for “gross misconduct” was reportedly triggered by external discussion of the studio’s Slack policies.

According to People Make Games, staff were let go after discussing changes to the company’s Slack rules on an invite-only Discord server. This closed forum was created in 2022 for Rockstar members who were showing an interest in unionisation, and contained reps from the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union. Discussion between reps and union members took place in secure channels, but there was a general channel used by unionised and non-unionised employees.

Now, in a new statement to IGN, Rockstar said: “Rockstar Games took action against a small group of individuals, across the UK and internationally, who distributed and discussed confidential information (including specific game features from upcoming and unannounced titles) in a public forum, in breach of company policy and their legal obligations. Claims that these dismissals were linked to union membership or activities are entirely false and misleading.”

In a separate statement sent to IGN this week, MP Chris Murray – who, as the local MP for Rockstar North, raised the issue in Parliament, prompting comment from the UK Prime Minister – said he had contacted Rockstar directly to discuss the matter alongside fellow Edinburgh MPs Tracy Gilbert and Scott Arthur at Rockstar North’s offices, and the meeting almost didn’t go ahead when the ministers refused to sign Rockstar’s non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

“The meeting began with us as MPs refused entry unless an NDA was signed, a request they eventually withdrew after it being made clear this would not be signed,” Murray said.

“The meeting only entrenched my concerns about the process Rockstar used to dismiss so many of their staff members. I was not assured their process paid robust attention to UK employment law, I was not convinced that this course of action was necessary, and alarmingly, I did not leave informed on exactly what these 31 people had done to warrant their immediate dismissal.”

Asked for comment, Take-Two has declined to add anything new to the statements it had made previously on the matter. The IWGB union has since claimed Rockstar was union busting when it fired the affected staff – something the company denies – and has filed a wrongful dismissal case against the Grand Theft Auto giant. Over 200 members of Rockstar North employees have now signed a letter asking for the impacted workers to be reinstated, while affected staff have held protests in London and Edinburgh.