Judge denies interim pay for fired Rockstar employees, but the decision 'does nothing to suggest that Rockstar will not be found guilty of unfair dismissal when the case goes to trial,' union says

Protestors with an IWGB banner outside Take-Two's London office. — (Image credit: IWGB)

A Scottish employment tribunal has denied a request for interim relief for Grand Theft Auto 6 developers fired by Rockstar in October 2025, saying they did not adequately demonstrate a likelihood that the final ruling on the matter will find that the former employees were fired because of their union membership or activities.

"The Glasgow Employment Tribunal has rejected the union's application for interim relief," a Rockstar spokesperson said in a statement provided to PC Gamer. "We welcome the decision, which is consistent with Rockstar's position throughout.

The Independent Workers of Great Britain union, however, claimed the employees were only speaking with labor organizers, and that the firings represented "one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry." The IWGB initiated legal action against Rockstar in November 2025, after the union claimed Rockstar refused to "resolve the matter through negotiation."

Public opinion hasn't been on Rockstar's side: The IWGB has staged protests outside Rockstar offices, more than 200 Rockstar employees wrote in support of their fired colleagues, and even the UK government weighed in: Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine urged fellow Ministers to "support workers who have lost their jobs, and stop this from happening again," while Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it "a deeply concerning case" and promised ministers would look into it.

The denial of interim relief is a loss for the fired employees—one former Rockstar worker called it a "gut punch"—but only in a limited sense. The ruling notes that the IWGB Discord had roughly 350 members, more than half of whom were members of the IWGB itself, and that at least one had previously written "press articles about videogames," including at least about Rockstar itself. It also acknowledges that three of the fired employees were Canadian, and not members of the IWGB—and thus, "their trade union membership could not therefore have been a factor in their dismissal." That's all in line with Rockstar's prior allegations.

At the same time, however, the ruling also notes that the terminations came very quickly, with little or no notice, and without disciplinary hearings, suspensions, or an opportunity to respond to the allegations of wrongdoing. Some of the people fired had "posted very little" in the Discord, while others hadn't posted in more than a year, and "there was no evidence of [Rockstar] having suffered any adverse consequences as a result of these postings."

"We have always been clear that Interim Relief is an incredibly high bar to meet as a temporary measure before the substantive tribunal, and it would have been almost unprecedented for a Judge to award this to a group of this size," the IWGB said. "That we did not secure an interim relief order means the especially stringent conditions required for this kind of hearing were not met, but does nothing to suggest that Rockstar will not be found guilty of unfair dismissal when the case goes to trial."

TOPICS

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.