A group of ex-employees represented by the IWGB claim they were sacked for trade union activity; Rockstar says dismissals followed sharing of confidential information and will contest the claims.
23 former Rockstar North staff are pursuing an employment tribunal after being among roughly 34 people dismissed in October last year.
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) represents the claimants, who say they were targeted for discussing workplace issues in a private Discord channel.
Former employees of Rockstar North, the Edinburgh studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series, have begun an employment tribunal in Glasgow. The claimants—23 people taking part in the action—say they were unfairly dismissed after discussing working conditions and union matters in a private Discord channel. The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is representing them.
Rockstar and publisher Take-Two say the staff were dismissed for gross misconduct, specifically for sharing confidential company information. The company says it will vigorously contest the tribunal.
A legal session took place in private on the tribunal's opening morning. Supporters and workers gathered for a rally outside the Glasgow Tribunals Centre ahead of the hearing.
The dispute concerns workers who were dismissed in October last year while working on Grand Theft Auto VI, which is scheduled for release on November 19. The game's pre-orders are already reported to have been worth hundreds of millions. The claimants say they lost jobs, income, and the chance to finish work on a project to which they contributed years of effort.
If the tribunal finds the dismissals were motivated by trade union activity, it would be a legal victory for the workers and could influence how large studios manage staff organising and private employee communications. Rockstar maintains the firings were related to breaches of confidentiality, not union membership or activity.
Claimants: The IWGB and former employees say workers were dismissed after taking part in private online conversations about workplace conditions. Jason Lewis, a former employee and IWGB member, said the group will "finally get the chance to put it on the record," describing the dismissals as devastating.
Rockstar/Take-Two: The developer and its publisher describe the matter as gross misconduct connected to the sharing of confidential information. They reject the claim that dismissals were related to union activity and say they will defend the company's position at the tribunal.
The public protests outside the Glasgow Tribunals Centre suggest ongoing worker and supporter mobilisation while the case proceeds.
For the claimants, a successful ruling could mean remedies for unfair dismissal and a formal record of wrongdoing. For Rockstar and the wider games industry, the case could clarify legal boundaries around employee discussions, the use of private online channels, and how companies balance confidentiality with workers' rights to organise.
The tribunal against the billion dollar games studio centres around accusations employees were fired in an attempt at “union bashing”
The 23 claimants were sacked by Rockstar Games last year for what it called "gross misconduct".
A worker dismissed from the developer of Grand Theft Auto has told an employment tribunal they believe workers were placed on a “watch list” after signing a petition about remote working
A group of former employees of Rockstar North are claiming they were unfairly dismissed for trade union activities.
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