An employment tribunal has ruled against Rockstar Games‘ request to remove blacklisting claims from the ongoing legal dispute over alleged union busting at the Grand Theft Auto 6 studio.
Rockstar initially made headlines last October, when it fired around 30 studio employees, all union members. The company claimed the affected staff were dismissed for gross misconduct, but soon after UK’s Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) accused Rockstar of committing “one of the most blatant and ruthless acts of union busting in the history of the games industry”. The IWGB later issued a legal claim against Rockstar, again noting those affected were union members.
The following month, more than 200 employees from Rockstar North signed a letter to management condemning its actions, and in the time since, the issue has been raised in Parliament. UK prime minister Keir Starmer even went as far as to call the controversial dismissals “deeply concerning”.
Today, the IWGB has announced an employment tribunal has ruled against Rockstar Games’ request that claims of blacklisting made against the company be removed from the upcoming trial (blacklisting, for context, is described by legal website Thomson Reuters as the “prohibited practice of listing trade union members, activists or health and safety representatives by an employer(s) for the purposes of making recruitment or management decisions regarding those workers”). The IWGB says Rockstar initially made the request to remove the claims made against it during a recent preliminary hearing, though did not provide further detail on the reported blacklisting. Eurogamer has asked Rockstar for more information on these claims, and why it wanted them removed.
Today’s rejection means every one of the union’s allegations against the studio relating to union-busting are able to proceed to trial, with the trial set to begin on 10th September. It will run until 15th October.
“This ruling is a huge moment for us,” said Ellie Dunstan, one of the workers fired by Rockstar in October last year. “Rockstar thought they could control the narrative. They’re wrong, and we look forward to proving it. Our case will now be heard in full and put to the test as it should be. The world will get to see for itself the evidence as to what happened last October. We loved our work at Rockstar. Losing our passion, our colleagues and our incomes in the blink of an eye was devastating, and the company management has treated us with disdain ever since, refusing to grant us appeals or respond to basic evidence requests.
“After months of fighting to have our voices heard, this is a moment to celebrate. The judgment shows that even against a company with Rockstar’s resources, workers can stand together and demand accountability. This fight has always been about more than just our own situation – it is about making sure workers across the games industry and beyond have the right to stand together, speak out, and organise for a fairer sector.”
Meanwhile, IWGB Game Workers Branch chair Spring McParlin-Jones called today’s ruling a “major blow to Rockstar’s attempts to avoid scrutiny for its actions”, and a “major step forward in our fight for justice for our members”.
“The tribunal has refused to let Rockstar off the hook,” McParlin-Jones continued, “finding that serious factual questions remain about how these workers were identified, listed and dismissed – questions that must now be tested at a full hearing. From the moment employees were escorted from their buildings without warning, and throughout every subsequent stage of the legal proceedings, Rockstar has attempted to avoid accountability – denying workers a fair hearing, failing to engage with basic evidence requests, and now attempting to limit scrutiny of the allegations brought against them. Gamers all over the world have seen through these tactics, and now a tribunal has also cast doubt on Rockstar’s version of events.”
McParlin-Jones added today’s decision “strengthens” the union’s case as it prepares for “the final stage of this David versus Goliath legal battle” with Rockstar.
Amidst this ongoing legal battle, Rockstar is getting ready to release Grand Theft Auto 6, which is expected to launch on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 this November.
