The ongoing dispute over Rockstar's October 2025 firing of 34 GTA 6 developers, including 31 in the UK and three in Canada, has now seen the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain ask a judge for interim relief for the affected employees.
As IGN reports, at a January 5 hearing at Glasgow, Scotland's Tribunals Centre, the IWGB pressed for interim relief – which would grant fired employees payroll and, where applicable, work visa reinstatement ahead of full trial determination – accusing Rockstar of "brutal union-busting".
The IWGB says it is "confident in the strength of the case we have brought against Rockstar Games," plainly arguing "Rockstar broke the law when it summarily dismissed 31 of our members." (Due to regional and union divide as well as labor law differences, the three affected Canada employees aren't included here.)
"This case is not just about the suffering of the 31 people who lost their livelihoods in the blink of an eye," the union says. "This is about the arrogance of a company like Rockstar thinking that its size and profitability grant it an unlimited licence to abuse its workers, and to do so with impunity."
A spokesperson for Rockstar issued its own statement, holding to the claim that the company fired these employees because they leaked confidential information. The company "categorically denies" claims of union-busting in a statement to IGN, and reiterates claims that the fired employees "discussed highly confidential information, including relating to game features from upcoming and unannounced titles, in an insecure and public social channel."
A report on this social channel revealed it to be an apparent Discord server. IWGB president Alex Marshall said in November that "this was on a finite union Discord in which people were discussing their material conditions at the company, and they should be legally protected to do that." Rockstar says the channel (not specifying Discord in its account) was more open, allegedly including "employees of competitor game developers, a video games industry journalist, as well as dozens of anonymous, unidentifiable members."
In its statement, Rockstar says "employees who posted union-supportive messages, but who did not breach confidentiality policies, were not dismissed," and it denies keeping a "blacklist" of union members.
Rockstar adds (not un-arrogantly, you might argue): "We regret that these dismissals were necessary; however, confidentiality is fundamental to everything Rockstar Games does. Global interest in our games is unparalleled. Even the smallest leak of any information relating to our products and practices can cause major commercial and creative damage – as we have seen in the past – and damage the experience of our loyal players and dedicated team. This was never about union membership. We have always taken a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorized releases of information — and we always will."
This firing wave sparked enduring protests outside Rockstar's office. In December, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer commented on the news, saying he'll "look into" the "deeply concerning" case.
Labour Party Member of Parliament Chris Murray raised the firings and said, "Having met Rockstar, they failed to reassure me they are following employment law, and I share concerns about union busting."
GTA 6 developer Rockstar is "a machine" in "an industry rife with work exploitation, unfair practice, and unreasonable working conditions," protesters say after recent firings.
