adminThe Rockstar IWGB dispute began after Rockstar dismissed 34 employees in the UK and Canada in October 2025. The company said the dismissals were for gross misconduct involving confidential information shared in a public forum. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) argued that UK employees had been targeted for union activity. The competing explanations led to protests, formal legal claims and a preliminary employment tribunal hearing.
This timeline summarises the main developments reported so far. The tribunal’s decision on interim relief did not resolve the underlying legal claims, and the parties continue to disagree about why the employees were dismissed.
Image credit: IWGB
Rockstar IWGB dispute: October 2025 dismissals
Rockstar dismissed 34 employees across the UK and Canada. The IWGB said 31 of the UK employees were union members, while the three workers in Canada were sympathetic to the union but were not members, reflecting differences in labour law between the countries.
Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, described the dismissals as being for gross misconduct. Rockstar said the employees had shared and discussed confidential information in a public forum, which it said violated company policies and legal obligations. It denied that union membership or activity was a factor.
The IWGB called the dismissals union busting and said it would defend members who it believed had been unfairly targeted for exercising their rights. The union also said the affected UK workers were either members of the IWGB or trying to organise at the company.
What to keep in mind: The allegations came from opposing parties. At this stage, neither side’s account should be treated as a final legal finding.
Protests and formal legal claims
The IWGB organised protests outside Rockstar North and Take-Two offices in Edinburgh and London. Union organiser Fred Carter said the dismissals had shocked workers and argued that employees should be able to discuss workplace conditions and organise collectively.
At a London protest, a union representative read an anonymous account from a dismissed employee. The worker said they had been let go without warning or an opportunity to respond, and denied that staff had intended to harm the company. This was the employee’s account, rather than an established finding about the circumstances of the dismissal.
The IWGB later filed formal legal claims against Rockstar, alleging trade union victimisation and blacklisting. The union said Rockstar had declined to meet to resolve the dispute through negotiation. Rockstar maintained that the dismissals concerned confidentiality, not union activity.
More than 200 employees at Rockstar North signed a letter calling for their colleagues to be reinstated. Further demonstrations took place in London and Paris on November 17, followed by a protest outside Holyrood in Edinburgh on November 18.
Image credit: People Make Games
Parliament raises concerns as GTA 6 release shifts
Scottish Labour MP Chris Murray raised the case in the UK Parliament and questioned whether the dismissals had followed employment law. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the situation as “deeply concerning” and said ministers would investigate. He also reiterated that workers have the right to join a trade union.
During a meeting with MPs, Rockstar representatives initially requested that attendees sign a non-disclosure agreement before entering, according to Murray. He said the request was withdrawn, but that the meeting did not reassure him about the dismissal process or explain what the affected employees had done.
Rockstar continued to deny that the dismissals were connected to union activity. The company said the information shared included details about features in upcoming and unannounced games. The IWGB disputed Rockstar’s characterisation of employee discussions as leaks.
On the same day Rockstar announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 would be released on November 19, 2026, saying the move would allow additional polish. The game had previously been expected in late 2025, before its release window was moved to May 26, 2026.
Practical context: The release-date announcement and the employment dispute are separate developments. The available statements do not establish that the dismissals caused the change to the game’s schedule.
January 2026 tribunal hearing and interim relief
Rockstar and the IWGB attended a preliminary UK employment tribunal hearing on January 5, 2026. The union requested interim relief for affected workers, noting that some employees no longer had the right to remain in the country where they had made their home. Rockstar categorically denied the claims raised at the hearing and repeated that it had acted over confidential information shared in an insecure public channel.
The Glasgow Employment Tribunal rejected the request for interim relief. Judge Frances Eccles said the tribunal could not conclude that it appeared likely the claimants would prove that IWGB membership was the principal reason for their dismissals. The judgment also noted that three claimants were based in Canada and were not IWGB members, while some employees associated with the union had not been dismissed.
The interim decision was not a final ruling on the full case. The IWGB said it remained confident in its claims and pointed to the judgment’s statement that there was no evidence the company had suffered adverse consequences as a result of the postings. Rockstar welcomed the decision and said it supported the company’s position.
Image credit: People Make Games
Evidence discussed and union formation
After the hearing, People Make Games reported on evidence submitted by Rockstar. It described a Discord conversation that began with a discussion about requesting time off and moved on to QA testers and a planned “32-player session.” Rockstar characterised the discussion as sharing commercially sensitive information about an unannounced live-service title. These descriptions reflect the parties’ and reporting outlet’s accounts, not a final tribunal determination.
The material also identified narrative designer Scott Alsworth as the person Rockstar described as “lurking” in the Discord server. Alsworth was an elected representative of the IWGB’s Game Workers branch and had written six articles for The Morning Star’s gaming section. Rockstar told the court that his presence posed a legitimate risk to the studio.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said the publisher takes labour relations seriously. He welcomed the tribunal’s interim decision, while also saying the company regretted that dismissals had been necessary and stood by its actions.
Rockstar employees also announced the formation of the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU), a subsidiary of the IWGB. The group said it had reached the 10% membership threshold before the dismissals and passed that threshold again afterward. It described the union as continuing to grow across UK sites.
What the Rockstar IWGB dispute means so far
The Rockstar IWGB dispute remains contested. Rockstar says it dismissed employees for sharing confidential information, while the IWGB alleges that workers were targeted in connection with union activity. The tribunal’s rejection of interim relief addressed the request for temporary measures; it did not settle the full claims.
Readers following the case should distinguish between allegations, company statements and tribunal findings, and check for updates as the substantive proceedings develop. The dispute also highlights wider questions about confidentiality rules, workplace discussions and union organising in the games industry.
