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Videotechuk, AKA Ben, has raised a surprisingly possibility regarding Grand Theft Auto 6’s 3rd trailer.
Ben followed up on the news from the start of this week that Rockstar just fired some of their developers in Canada and the UK. He said this on Twitter:
The IWGB (Workers’ Game Union) has announced a protest tomorrow outside Rockstar North and Take-Two’s London offices in response to the recent dismissal of 40 employees linked to union organising within the company.
Someone replied with an obscene notion or suggestion; that Take-Two would try to distract the fans by releasing the 3rd trailer now.
Ben replied with some food for thought:
I mean look. I understand everyone is hyped for more news, but I’d feel it’s not the time and place. There’s always December or late November when this situation is resolved.
Would Distracting Fans From The Protests Work?
One can understand why some gamers have gotten cynical about the video game industry. Controversies surrounding how game companies treat their workers have been going for years.
But the industry did learn the lessons of EA Spouse, the unlikely anonymous whistleblower that opened the fans’ eyes on these business practices. These companies fear not only bad PR, but potential regulation and oversight for potentially violating labor laws.
Ben argues from this point of view. Rockstar would surely know that they would not get away with hiding away controversy from those layoffs.
If anything, the fans will amplify news of the protests and layoffs. But we’ve already seen Rockstar isn’t taking this direction.
Were The Layoffs Because Of Grand Theft Auto Leaks?
As we reported earlier today, Rockstar revealed that they laid off these employees for:
…distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum, a violation of our company policies.
Rockstar did not initially share this detail when the news first hit. In terms of PR, this would effectively change the narrative around the layoffs.
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) will have egg on their face if it turns out Rockstar’s claims are correct, and they provide proof of it.
That will mean that the union tried to protect malicious actors. Leakers don’t just harm Rockstar and its executives, but all the workers in the company.
We don’t believe the IWGB will be able to make logical arguments to justify their workers leaking and compromising the games that these workers depend their livelihoods on.
For now, this is a case of he said/he said. But that can change as soon as later today, if Take-Two shares even more details in their last financial meeting of this year.
