Union Asks Judge to Grant Fired GTA 6 Devs Interim Relief at Preliminary Tribunal Hearing, Rockstar Denies Claims

The legal battle between Rockstar Games and fired GTA 6 developers reached a critical juncture this week. At a preliminary hearing in Glasgow on 5th January, the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain pushed for immediate relief whilst Rockstar doubled down on its position that confidentiality breaches justified the dismissals.

Thirty-one UK employees, all union members, were abruptly sacked in late October 2025. Three additional Canadian workers lost their jobs around the same time. No warning. No investigation. Just straight dismissals for what Rockstar called "gross misconduct."

The union wants interim relief for these workers. What does that mean? Payroll reinstatement until a full tribunal determines the case properly. For some fired employees on work visas, this isn't just about money. Their legal right to remain in the country hangs in the balance.

What Rockstar Claims Happened

Rockstar maintains the terminated employees leaked specific game features from upcoming titles in what the company describes as an "insecure and public social channel." The studio points fingers at a Discord server they say contained competitor employees, journalists, and anonymous members.

According to Rockstar's statement, the channel had at least 25 non-Rockstar employees, including staff from rival developers and a video games industry journalist. The company insists workers who expressed pro-union sentiment but didn't breach confidentiality policies kept their jobs.

"We regret that these dismissals were necessary," Rockstar said in their statement. The company stressed that given the global interest in GTA 6, even minor leaks cause significant damage to the player experience and creative process. They've dealt with major leaks before, including the massive 2022 GTA 6 footage breach, so you understand their sensitivity.

The studio categorically denies union-busting allegations. They claim they didn't even know the fired workers were union members when terminations happened.

The Union's Counter-Argument

The IWGB paints a starkly different picture. Union president Alex Marshall describes the Discord server as a private, legally protected space where workers discussed their employment conditions. Not game secrets. Working conditions.

"This case is not just about the suffering of the 31 people who lost their livelihoods in the blink of an eye," the union argues. "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."

IWGB officials state that Rockstar's claims are "littered with falsehoods and disinformation," accusing the studio of reverse-engineering justifications after the fact. The union points out multiple conflicting explanations from Rockstar about why employees were terminated.

Here's a detail that raises eyebrows: the union had just surpassed the 10% membership threshold at Rockstar North required under UK law to seek formal recognition. Reaching this milestone would have forced the company to acknowledge and negotiate with the union. Then came the mass firings, conveniently dropping membership below that crucial percentage.

What Actually Sparked This Mess

Rewind to early October 2025. Rockstar removed several miscellaneous Slack channels, including ones for pets, arts and crafts, music, and gaming interests. Sounds minor, right?

Wrong. That gaming news channel served a dual purpose. Workers shared industry news there, including stories about layoffs elsewhere in the sector. A trend developed of reacting to layoff news with the seedling emoji (🌱), showing solidarity with affected workers and symbolizing growing unionisation support.

Several fired employees interviewed by People Make Games speculated that Rockstar intentionally closed these channels to curtail this symbolic solidarity activity. When the channels disappeared, workers migrated to a private Discord server where they continued organising efforts.

Then Rockstar announced stricter Slack policies, including banning emojis from status messages. Some interpreted this as management growing tired of Palestine flags and seedling emojis cropping up everywhere. One message on the Discord server read: "I'm going to miss straight up firing in games unionisation news at 8am every day."

That Discord discussion about Slack policy changes? Rockstar appears to view it as the smoking gun justifying terminations.

The Broader Context

Over 220 current Rockstar employees signed letters demanding their former colleagues' reinstatement. Protests erupted outside multiple offices in London, Paris, and Edinburgh. Even Prime Minister Keir Starmer weighed in during Prime Minister's Questions, calling it a "deeply concerning case" and emphasising that workers have the right to join unions without facing unfair consequences.

MPs Chris Murray, Tracy Gilbert, and Scott Arthur met with Rockstar representatives, but the meeting failed to provide compelling justification for the firings. Murray stated the meeting "only entrenched my concerns about the process Rockstar used to dismiss so many of their staff members."

This dispute happens whilst GTA 6 development enters its final phase. The game, initially slated for May 2026, got delayed to November 2026. Whether these firings contributed to that delay remains pure speculation, though IWGB president Marshall suggested Rockstar management "don't care about delays to GTA 6" because they're "prioritising union-busting."

What Happens Next

The Glasgow tribunal hearing represents just one step in a lengthy legal process. Whether the judge grants interim relief won't determine the ultimate outcome, but for workers without income and some facing visa expiration, the decision carries immense personal stakes.

The IWGB remains "confident in the strength of the case we have brought against Rockstar Games," stating they "look forward now to the day we face them in court for a full and substantive tribunal hearing."

The full tribunal hearing will determine whether Rockstar violated UK employment law protecting workers' rights to organise. The outcome stands to set precedent for labour relations across the entire games industry, where unionisation efforts have accelerated in recent years following widespread layoffs and crunch culture concerns.

Both sides have dug in. Rockstar points to confidentiality breaches and maintains zero-tolerance for unauthorised information sharing. The union argues private union discussions receive legal protection that supersedes employment contracts.

The judge's decision on interim relief should arrive in the coming weeks. Then begins the wait for a full hearing date, dependent on the tribunal's backlog. One way or another, this case will shape how major studios approach worker organisation for years to come.

For now, 31 workers remain without jobs, without pay, and some without certainty about their future in the UK. Rockstar insists it acted within its rights to protect confidentiality. The courts will decide who's telling the truth.