Rockstar’s Battle With Union Over Fired Devs Goes To Court

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As a big Rockstar fan, I was really shocked to hear they let go of over thirty developers in the UK and Canada back in late October 2025. They said it was due to “gross misconduct,” but the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain believes it was actually because these developers were trying to form a union – basically, they’re accusing Rockstar of trying to stop them from organizing. It’s been a back-and-forth ever since, and now it’s actually headed to court in the UK, which is pretty serious.

According to Video Games Chronicle, Rockstar and the Independent Workers of Great Britain union appeared in court this week. The union asked the court to temporarily reinstate workers who were fired, with pay, while their legal case is ongoing. If approved, this would put those workers back on Rockstar’s payroll and potentially allow some to maintain their work visas. A decision from the court is expected by the end of the week.

Even after the court ruling, the IWGB promised to keep supporting the workers, while Rockstar maintained its stance that the workers had violated company policy.

Rockstar Games confirmed to IGN that they took action against a group in the UK and Canada who were sharing secret details about upcoming, unreleased games on a public social media channel. This violated clear confidentiality rules. The channel included over 25 people not employed by Rockstar, including staff from rival game companies and a games journalist, as well as many anonymous users. Importantly, Rockstar clarified that employees who expressed support for a union, but didn’t leak confidential information, were not fired.

It’s unclear if a recent confidentiality breach was connected to the leak of information about Grand Theft Auto 6. A November 2025 report revealed that the employees involved had discussed changes to Rockstar’s Slack policies, which significantly limited personal and non-work communication. The report also highlighted Rockstar’s strict security measures, requiring employees to be on-site to access their work email.

The outcome of this case likely depends on whether Rockstar can demonstrate that the employees disclosed confidential information, breaking their employment agreements. The situation has gained significant international attention, and both UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and MP Chris Murray have committed to investigating it, though the legal process is expected to be lengthy.

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2026-01-09 00:09