According to IGN, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain has filed formal legal claims against Rockstar Games alleging “trade union victimisation and blacklisting” after the company fired 31 employees earlier this month. The union claims all dismissed workers were targeted specifically for their involvement in a private Discord chat group focused on unionization activities. Rockstar disputes this, stating the employees were fired for “gross misconduct” and leaking “confidential information in a public forum.” The legal claims have been submitted to the Tribunal and will await an initial hearing date to determine if the claimants are eligible for interim relief. This comes as Rockstar parent company Take-Two announced GTA 6 has been delayed for the second time, now scheduled for November 2026.
Union claims vs company response
Here’s where things get messy. The union says these 31 people were all in a private Discord chat discussing union stuff, and that’s why they got canned. Rockstar says nope, they were leaking confidential information. But the union fires back that the only non-Rockstar people in that Discord were union organizers. So who’s telling the truth?
This isn’t just about 31 people losing their jobs. It’s about the timing and the pattern. When you fire a whole group of people who happen to be organizing together, it looks suspicious as hell. Even if there was some confidential info being shared, the question becomes: was this the real reason, or just a convenient excuse?
Bigger picture at Rockstar
Let’s not forget Rockstar’s history with crunch culture and workplace conditions. This is the company that famously had employees working 100-hour weeks during Red Dead Redemption 2 development. Now they’re facing unionization efforts while working on what’s probably the most anticipated game ever made.
And here’s the thing – Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was just defending the company’s labor relations, saying they’re “incredibly proud” of them. That statement aged like milk, didn’t it? Either he’s completely out of touch with what’s happening at his own company, or this is some serious corporate spin.
What happens next
The legal process will likely drag on for months. The Tribunal will first decide if the claimants get interim relief, which could mean temporary reinstatement while the case proceeds. But even if the union wins, the damage to worker trust might already be done.
Meanwhile, GTA 6 keeps getting pushed back. November 2026? That’s two years from now. You have to wonder if all this internal turmoil is contributing to the delays. Game development is hard enough without your workforce being at war with management.
This case could become a landmark moment for game industry labor relations. If the union wins, it might encourage more organizing at other major studios. If Rockstar wins, it could embolden other companies to push back against union efforts. Either way, the games industry is watching closely.
