Grand Theft Auto maker hit with legal action over ‘unlawful’ employee dismissals

Rockstar Games, the creator of the renowned Grand Theft Auto video game series, faces legal action over allegations of unfairly dismissing 31 employees who were working on the development of Grand Theft Auto 6. The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) trade union has filed the lawsuit, claiming the studio targeted employees for their union activities and dismissed them without proper disciplinary process or right of appeal.

The IWGB also alleges the studio compiled and used lists of the employees’ names to discriminate against them, effectively blacklisting them. The legal dispute began with an interim ruling in June, which struck out Rockstar Games' efforts to remove the blacklisting allegations from the claim. The employees were reportedly called into meetings, immediately fired, and escorted from the building, while those not in the office were informed via phone calls and then locked out of their work accounts.

Negotiations between Rockstar Games and the IWGB are ongoing regarding formal recognition of working conditions for games developers. The union is seeking answers on pay transparency, overtime expectations, and flexible working arrangements. Rockstar Games issued a statement in August regarding leaked videos of the game, expressing sadness over the leaks but emphasizing it was not how they intended for the public to view the game.