Part 5/11:
Alan Lewis, Take Two's head of global corporate communications, stated that these firings were solely due to "gross misconduct" and did not involve union activities. He characterized the dismissals as necessary and unrelated to employee organization efforts. Nevertheless, the union president Alex Marshall lambasted the move as the "most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry."
The timing of the layoffs is notable—they occurred just seven months before the scheduled release of Grand Theft Auto 6, which was delayed from fall to next year. Neon suggests that these dismissals might be strategic, aiming to remove union sympathizers before the game's launch, especially given the game's projected massive earnings—potentially reaching into the billions.