The legal showdown between Rockstar Games and a group of 34 former employees has entered its final chapter. The concluding hearing in the employment tribunal case kicked off on September 10th at Glasgow Tribunals Centre in Scotland, and is scheduled to run through at least October 15th. As the proceedings began, Rockstar issued a fresh statement making clear its position has not shifted one inch since the dispute first erupted.
A spokesperson for the company told IGN: “Rockstar Games’ position has been clear and consistent throughout. Individuals across the UK and Canada were dismissed for gross misconduct following the sharing of confidential company information, not because of alleged trade union membership or activity. We reject the claims and will defend them vigorously before the tribunal.”
How the Dispute Started
The 34 former Rockstar staff were let go in November of last year. According to reports, the dismissals centered on discussions about a new company Slack policy that took place inside a union-run Discord server. Rockstar’s justification for the firings has consistently been that those involved leaked confidential information on a public forum.
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, known as the IWGB, has pushed back hard against that framing. The union has argued throughout the dispute that Rockstar’s real motivation was to suppress union activity, characterising the mass dismissal as union busting rather than a legitimate disciplinary action.
Blacklisting Claims Added to the Case
The stakes of the final hearing grew in June, when an employment tribunal ruled that the fired developers would be permitted to bring blacklisting claims against Rockstar as part of their argument. That ruling expanded the scope of what the tribunal could examine and gave the former staff an additional legal avenue to pursue.
At the tribunal, the IWGB and the former workers are seeking a ruling that their dismissals were unfair. If the tribunal sides with them, Rockstar could be ordered to reinstate the staff, pay compensation, or both. Rockstar, for its part, is pushing for the tribunal to confirm that the company acted within its rights when it dismissed the employees.
Union Rally Outside the Tribunal
Earlier this week, ahead of the hearing’s start, the IWGB and the fired staff announced they would host a rally outside the tribunal venue on the morning of September 10th. The event was intended to draw public attention to their cause and signal solidarity among those involved.
Former Rockstar staffer and IWGB union member Jason Lewis spoke openly about what the moment means in a union press release issued earlier this week. “We have fought tooth and nail to get to this point, not just to be able to win justice for ourselves, but to draw a line in the sand for any employer that thinks it can attack workers for unionising,” Lewis said. “It has been an emotional journey and it is not over yet, but we can now see the finish line, and justice at last feels within reach.”
T-Shirts Over Boycotts, and a New Union Push
The fired developers have asked supporters not to boycott GTA 6, instead directing fans toward purchasing specially designed union t-shirts, with proceeds going toward their Fighting Fund. It is a calculated approach that separates the labour dispute from the game itself, keeping the focus on the workers rather than the product.
Meanwhile, developers who remain at Rockstar have formed the Rockstar Games Workers Union and are currently in the process of seeking formal recognition from the company. That effort is playing out ahead of GTA 6’s scheduled console release in November, adding another layer of tension around the game’s launch window.
With the hearing now underway and both sides firmly dug in, the tribunal process will play out over the coming weeks. Rockstar maintains the dismissals were justified. The former staff and the IWGB maintain they were not. The Glasgow Tribunals Centre will be the venue where that argument is finally settled.