Rockstar faces legal action from UK union after firing more than 30 employees last week: 'We are confident that what we’ve seen here is plain and simple union busting'

The Independent Workers of Great Britain has launched legal action against Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar Games over what it says was an unfair termination of employees "that we believe amount to victimisation and collective dismissal linked to trade union activity."

The action was filed after Rockstar refused to meet and "resolve the matter through negotiation," the IWGB's legal team said in a statement. Instead, Rockstar has maintained the termination of the employees it fired last week in a manner the union described as "unacceptable and unlawful."

"Accordingly, we have now issued formal legal claims against Rockstar on behalf of the Claimants. Our members allege that Rockstar’s conduct constitutes trade union victimisation and blacklisting."

The dismissals in question occurred on October 31, when more than 30 Rockstar employees in the UK and Canada were fired without warning. The IWGB alleged at the time that the employees were fired because of their efforts to organize a union at Rockstar, calling it "the most brazen act of union busting the games industry has ever seen."

Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive denied the claim and said the employees were fired for "gross misconduct." Rockstar later clarified that allegation to say the employees were "distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum." The IWGB, however, said the only non-Rockstar people the employees were talking to were labor organizers.

"We are confident that what we’ve seen here is plain and simple union busting, and we will mount a full legal defence with our expert group of caseworkers, legal officers and barristers," IWGB president Alex Marshall said in today's announcement. "Employers like Rockstar would do well to understand that private spaces such as trade union Discord servers have protections, and that their company’s contractual clauses do not supersede UK law.

"This case stands as a warning to any employer in the games industry and beyond who thinks they are able to act with impunity against organised workers—we will not be intimidated."

Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive declined to comment on the legal action. Take-Two recently delayed the console release of Grand Theft Auto 6, from May 26 to November 19, 2026; a PC version remains unannounced.

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