Full Rockstar Employment Trial Begins as Fired GTA 6 Devs Rally in Glasgow

The full employment tribunal hearing for 31 former Rockstar Games developers got underway on September 10, 2026, at a Glasgow employment tribunal centre, with supporters, union flags, and signs gathered outside to mark the occasion. The case is expected to run through mid-October, concluding just weeks before Grand Theft Auto VI’s November 19 launch date. The workers were dismissed in October 2025 and have been represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) ever since.

Rachel Crawford, a former Rockstar programmer with nearly a decade of experience on GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, addressed the rally with an impassioned speech. “The modern workplace runs on fear—fear of speaking out, fear of being punished, fear of being fired, losing your livelihood, and even your home,” she told the crowd. “Today we are fighting fear.” Her words captured the sentiment among the fired workers, who say they were targeted for union-organising activities in a private Discord server.

Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two maintain that the dismissals were lawful, arguing the employees were terminated for leaking confidential information about unannounced projects in a public forum. The IWGB counters that no proper disciplinary process was followed, and that the firings constituted union busting — one of the most significant allegations of its kind in the UK games industry. An earlier preliminary hearing ruled that the IWGB’s blacklisting claims could proceed, ensuring the full scope of the allegations will be heard at trial.

The timing adds weight to the proceedings: with GTA 6 just ten weeks from launch, the case puts Rockstar’s labour practices in the spotlight at the exact moment the studio is riding peak public attention. The tribunal is scheduled to run until October 15–16, with a verdict expected to follow in the months ahead.