Rockstar Says 'We Stand by Our Course of Action' as Judge Rejects Fired GTA 6 Developers' Application for Interim Relief

A Glasgow employment tribunal rejected the union's bid to restore paycheques for 31 fired GTA 6 developers this week. Rockstar Games says the ruling vindicates their position. The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain? They're doubling down, claiming they exposed serious procedural failures.

Judge Frances Eccles ruled against interim relief on Monday following a two-day hearing that laid bare the tensions between the studio and workers who lost their jobs in October 2025. The decision means the 31 UK-based developers won't see their salaries reinstated while the full tribunal case proceeds.

"The Glasgow Employment Tribunal has rejected the union's application for interim relief," a Rockstar spokesperson told Kotaku. "We welcome the decision, which is consistent with Rockstar's position throughout."

Then came the line that's already making waves: "We regret that we were put in a position where dismissals were necessary, but we stand by our course of action as supported by the outcome of this hearing."

The Discord at the Heart of the Dispute

The firings stem from a private Discord server established by the IWGB Game Workers Union. Rockstar claims the channel contained approximately 350 members, including former employees, journalists, and competitor studio staff. According to the company, developers shared confidential information about GTA 6 features and development schedules in this supposedly unsecured space.

The union? They tell a different story. They maintain the Discord was a protected trade union channel where workers discussed working conditions, nothing more. The IWGB accused Rockstar of "covertly monitoring" the Discord by impersonating a union staff member to gain access to private conversations.

Employment Judge Eccles noted in her ruling that some fired employees barely posted anything to the Discord. She also wrote: "There was no evidence of the respondent having suffered any adverse consequences as a result of these postings." The IWGB is seizing on this language as proof Rockstar overreacted.

Union Claims Victory Despite Loss

Interim relief sets an exceptionally high bar. Getting a judge to order temporary pay restoration before a full hearing is borderline unprecedented, especially for a group this size. The union knew this going in.

"Despite being refused interim relief today, we've come out of last week's hearing more confident than ever that a full and substantive tribunal will find Rockstar's calculated attempt to crush a union to be not only unjust but unlawful," IWGB president Alex Marshall said in a statement.

The union is pointing to revelations from the hearing itself. According to their statement, Rockstar failed to conduct formal investigations, offered no disciplinary meetings, and gave employees zero opportunity to appeal before termination. These procedural failures, the IWGB argues, strengthen their case when the full tribunal convenes.

"The fact that we were granted this hearing speaks to the strength of our case," Marshall added. "Over the course of the two-day hearing, Rockstar consistently failed to back up claims made in the press or to refute that they acted unfairly, maliciously, and in breach of their own procedures."

The Stakes Go Beyond Paycheques

For the fired developers, this ruling stings beyond the financial hit. Some employees face immigration consequences. Their work visas depend on employment status. Without interim relief, they're left in legal limbo while waiting for a full hearing that could take months.

Bloomberg reported the tribunal's decision leaves these workers without income or visa stability as the legal process drags on. Three Canadian developers were excluded from the interim relief application due to jurisdictional differences, leaving them in an even more precarious position.

Rockstar maintains that employees who posted union-supportive messages but didn't breach confidentiality policies kept their jobs. The company framed the dismissals as a necessary response to protect their most valuable asset.

"Global interest in our games is unparalleled," a Rockstar spokesperson told NotebookCheck. "Even the smallest leak of any information relating to our products and practices causes major commercial and creative damage, as we have seen in the past."

That's not hyperbole. When Rockstar announced GTA 6's delay to November 2026, Take-Two's market value plummeted by $3.75 billion in a single day. The financial pressure is real.

What Happens Next

The preliminary ruling doesn't settle anything substantive. This was about whether to grant temporary relief while the case proceeds. The full employment tribunal hearing will determine whether Rockstar broke UK labour law by firing workers for union activity.

Judge Eccles ruled she "was unable to conclude that it appears likely that the tribunal will find that the principal reason for the claimants' dismissal was their membership of the IWGB." That's the language that lost the union their interim relief application. But it's not a finding on the merits.

The full tribunal will examine whether the firings were truly about confidentiality breaches or whether they targeted union organising. The IWGB believes the procedural failures exposed during last week's hearing will prove decisive when a judge reviews the full evidence.

The outcome will set precedent. If the tribunal sides with the union, it could force major studios to rethink how they respond to worker organising. If Rockstar wins, it reinforces the power of confidentiality policies to override labour protections, at least in cases where companies claim legitimate security concerns.

GTA 6 launches November 19, 2026. The full tribunal hearing will likely conclude before that date. One way or another, this labour dispute is part of the game's story now. The human cost of developing the most anticipated entertainment product in history is playing out in a Glasgow courtroom, and the final verdict remains months away.

For now, 31 developers are without income. Rockstar is without 31 developers. And the games industry is watching closely.