UK Tribunal Denies Relief to Fired Rockstar Employees

A UK employment tribunal has denied interim relief to over 30 former Rockstar Games employees fired last November, as their legal battle with the studio over alleged union busting continues. The ruling came during a hearing in Glasgow where court documents inadvertently revealed a detail about the multiplayer mode for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI: it will support sessions of up to 32 players.

The dismissals, affecting staff at Rockstar's offices in the UK and Canada, stemmed from discussions in a Discord server operated by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB). Rockstar maintains the employees were terminated for gross misconduct after sharing confidential information about unannounced projects, including development schedules, game features, and company protocols. The server, which had around 350 members including former employees and industry outsiders, also featured expressions of support for union organizing.

The IWGB, representing the fired workers through its Game Workers Union branch, accuses Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, of targeting union sympathizers to prevent organization. Union president Alex Marshall stated that the firings...