Man sacked by Grand Theft Auto maker believes employees were put on ‘watch list’

In an employment tribunal in Glasgow, it has been examined whether Rockstar Games unlawfully fired 31 staff members for engaging in trade union activity. Dayne Oram, one of the fired employees, claimed that he believed the company started keeping an eye on a group of workers after a petition about remote working was sent to leadership in 2023.

Rockstar, on the other hand, disputes this claim, stating that the employees were dismissed for gross misconduct due to sharing confidential company information, not because of their trade union membership or activity. The workers were involved in the production of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is scheduled for release on November 19 and is expected to be one of the biggest launches in gaming history.

Much of the case hinges on information shared in a Discord forum, used by around 300 Rockstar employees to discuss the company. Oram, who was involved in setting up and moderating the forum, told the tribunal that discussions on the platform could "get a bit out of hand." Rockstar, represented by Thomas Cordrey, presented forum rules that required workers to remain "professional and constructive" when posting, suggesting that the rules had been "routinely broken."

Oram admitted that he might have made different moderation decisions if he had the chance, but stated that moderators did not want to "over-police" the channel. Oram also expressed the belief that there was a connection between the list of names who signed the 2023 petition about remote working and the subsequent firings in 2025.

However, Cordrey questioned this assertion, pointing out that only 141 out of 154 people who signed the petition were fired. The case is expected to last about six weeks, with further testimony from Rockstar Games witnesses scheduled for October. The company continues negotiations with current employees, who are hoping for official union recognition before the release of GTA VI.

Out of the 34 Rockstar workers fired last year, 23 based in Scotland are involved in the current tribunal and are represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain. Rockstar Games remains firm in its stance, stating that the individuals were dismissed for gross misconduct after sharing confidential company information, not due to alleged trade union membership or activity.