A UK employment tribunal has ruled against Grand Theft Auto maker Rockstar in the latest stage of a high-profile legal dispute centred on allegations of union busting.
The latest preliminary tribunal decision upheld the right of fired IWGB union workers to continue bringing blacklisting claims against the studio at the final trial, which will run from September 10 to October 15, 2026.
IWGB describes blacklisting as the “practice of compiling information about workers involved in union activity in order to discriminate against them.”
At the latest preliminary hearing between the two parties, IWGB said Rockstar sought to narrow the scope of the dispute by striking blacklisting claims from the case, but was ultimately preventing from doing so.
The decision means the ousted union workers, who claim they were fired for engaging in union activity, can bring those allegations against Rockstar at trial.
As noted above, the court case will conclude just over a month before the planned release of Grand Theft Auto VI on November 19, which Rockstar parent company Take-Two expects to be one of the biggest product launches in entertainment history.
Ellie Dunstan, one of the more than 30 workers fired by Rockstar last year, described the latest ruling as a “huge moment.”
“Our case will now be heard in full and put to the test as it should be. The world will get to see for itself the evidence as to what happened last October,” said Dunstan.
“We loved our work at Rockstar. Losing our passion, our colleagues and our incomes in the blink of an eye was devastating, and the company management has treated us with disdain ever since, refusing to grant us appeals or respond to basic evidence requests. After months of fighting to have our voices heard, this is a moment to celebrate. The judgment shows that even against a company with Rockstar’s resources, workers can stand together and demand accountability.”
IWGB Game Workers Branch chair Spring McParlin-Jones said the ruling represents a major blow to Rockstar’s attempts to “avoid scrutiny.”
“The tribunal has refused to let Rockstar off the hook, finding that serious factual questions remain about how these workers were identified, listed and dismissed – questions that must now be tested at a full hearing,” added McParlin-Jones.
“From the moment employees were escorted from their buildings without warning, and throughout every subsequent stage of the legal proceedings, Rockstar has attempted to avoid accountability—denying workers a fair hearing, failing to engage with basic evidence requests, and now attempting to limit scrutiny of the allegations brought against them. Gamers all over the world have seen through these tactics, and now a tribunal has also cast doubt on Rockstar’s version of events.”
Rockstar maintains the firings were a direct response to employees leaking confidential information in a Discord channel.
In January, impacted workers were denied interim relief following another preliminary hearing—although it’s worth noting interim relief is rarely granted in the UK.