The union-busting case that GTA 6 makers Rockstar are currently embroiled in with the IWGB (Independent Workers Union of Great Britain) has just taken its next major steps. The date for the trial has been set, and an employment tribunal in the UK has ruled against Rockstar and in favour of the union, upholding the union's right to continue throwing claims of blacklisting against Rockstar.
As first reported by Game Developer, the trial will run from September 10, 2026, to October 15, 2026, during which the IWGB will be able to use claims of blacklisting against Rockstar as part of its case. Blacklisting in this case is "the practice of compiling information about workers involved in union activity in order to discriminate against them."
Rockstar had attempted to have the blacklisting allegations removed from the case in a previous preliminary hearing, but this ruling prevents it from doing so. Following that decision, the union is now set to bring all of its union-busting allegations against Rockstar to trial where they will be further debated and examined.
"This ruling is a huge moment for us," said Ellie Dunstan, one of the 31 workers from Rockstar North who were fired last year, setting this case in motion. "Rockstar thought they could control the narrative. They're wrong, and we look forward to proving it. Our case will now be heard in full and put to the test as it should be. The world will get to see for itself the evidence as to what happened last October."
"We loved our work at Rockstar," Dunstan continued. "Losing our passion, our colleagues and our incomes in the blink of an eye was devastating, and the company management has treated us with disdain ever since, refusing to grant us appeals or respond to basic evidence requests. After months of fighting to have our voices heard, this is a moment to celebrate. The judgement shows that even against a company with Rockstar's resources, workers can stand together and demand accountability."
While GTA 6 will undoubtedly be the biggest release of the year and perhaps of the decade, these allegations of union-busting have followed the game like a dark cloud for the past year. 34 workers were fired in total, 31 in the UK and three in Canada at Rockstar Toronto.
The firings and the union-busting allegations have spurred international protests at multiple Rockstar locations, including its Toronto location, which Wccftech covered in-person. We spoke to protestors and one of the fired workers from Rockstar Toronto, who shed more light on the situation, including Rockstar's claims that the workers were fired not for unionizing, but for allegedly leaking confidential information.
That alleged 'leak' of information has been traced back to a private, invite-only Discord server that employees at Rockstar were using to discuss unionizing efforts. A source told Wccftech, "The only common link between anyone who was fired is being a member of this community, and this community had the explicit purpose of trying to unionize all of the studios, at some point. The focus was on the UK, but the goal was to unionize all of the studios, so it has to be connected to that in some way, just because that's the only common link."
Since the legal dispute began last November, Rockstar employees have come together to sign an open letter to management calling out the alleged union busting, protests have popped up across the world as mentioned, and the UK government has gotten involved with the case gaining the attention of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Recently, Rockstar was accused of obstruction by Scottish MPs for denying employees' appeals and dragging its feet on basic evidence requests. Also, while the firings momentarily prevented employees at Rockstar from unionizing since their numbers were suddenly below the required threshold, it's worth noting that the employees have since formed the Rockstar Game Workers Union (RGWU).
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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