Former employees of Rockstar Games, the developer behind the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, have initiated an employment tribunal, alleging they were unlawfully dismissed for attempting to unionize. The protest rally held outside the Glasgow Tribunals Centre marked the beginning of a hearing expected to continue until October 16.
Twenty-three claimants, who were dismissed last year for what Rockstar Games characterized as "gross misconduct," are taking the company to court. The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) asserts that these former staff members were penalized for discussing working conditions in a private online forum while contributing to the upcoming "Grand Theft Auto 6."
Rockstar Games has countered that the dismissals were a result of employees discussing confidential information, including specific game features, on a public Discord channel. The company stated that it is inaccurate to connect union activities to the dismissal of 31 UK workers and three in Canada in October 2025. The majority of the UK-based employees worked at the company's Edinburgh headquarters.