UK trade union Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) is escalating its legal fight against Grand Craft Auto VI Rockstar developer is over dismissal of more than 30 union members November 2, 2025. The company has now filed formal legal action against Rockstar for its actions, taking the dispute to a British court.
In a statement, the union said it had repeatedly sought meetings with Rockstar to resolve the conflict through negotiations, but the studio had prevented it. Calling the dismissal “unacceptable and unlawful,” the union said it was filing lawsuits on behalf of the affected workers.
“Our members allege that Rockstar's conduct constitutes union harassment and blacklisting,” the IWGB legal team said. This filing comes just days after Rockstar announced Grand Craft Auto VI will deferred until November 2026.
“Union busting, plain and simple”
Union President Alex Marshall said Rockstar is engaged in “union busting, plain and simple” and that the organization will conduct a full legal investigation. “Employers such as Rockstar would do well to understand that private spaces such as union Discord servers are protected and that their company’s contractual provisions do not supersede UK law.”
Marshall was referring to Rockstar's statement that it fired union members for “gross misconductIn particular, about the leakage of trade secrets. Last week, the union told Game Developer that union members spoke with organizers on a private Discord server, where they never discussed Rockstar's products or plans.
A few days ago, fired Rockstar employee “Bran” spoke to a YouTube channel. People make games that the union is “very close” to reaching the membership level for statutory recognition under UK law. She also noted that new procedures for the recognition of trade unions should be introduced in 2026, which would “facilitate” the process of organizing employees.
The game's developer has reached out to Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, for comment and will update this story when the company responds.
