Court sides with GTA 6 devs. Former Rockstar Games employees suffer a painful blow in their fight for money

Rockstar gave a thumbs up to the judge who turned down the laid-off employees' request for temporary compensation.

The case involving over 30 employees, who were fired by the creators of the Grand Theft Auto series between October and November of last year, has already gained significant attention. Support for the affected creators has been declared by politicians, not to mention lots of players (who traditionally oppose the "greedy corporation"). However, the first legal battle was a victory for Rockstar Games.

Lack of evidence for union busting?

As reported by Bloomberg, the UK employment tribunal (Glasgow tribunal) rejected the request for temporary compensation for the dismissed studio employees. It's not just about the money. Judge Frances Eccles explained her decision in a way that directly addressed the accusations from those creators. According to the report, the former developers didn't convincingly demonstrate that they have a chance to persuade the court that Rockstar fired them due to their union affiliations.

Just to recap: 34 people who were let go due to "staff reductions" and their supporters from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) argued that their firing wasn't because of breaking confidentiality rules, as Rockstar claimed, but because they were talking to unions. In other words, it was supposed to be evidence of the company's fight against employee unionization (union busting).

The labor court's verdict seems to undermine this allegation, much to the concern of the union members. Nevertheless, the IWGB remains hopeful, and in a statement to Games Radar, the union expressed hope for a more "fair" consideration of the case during the full court proceedings and a more critical approach to the "fragile foundations" of Rockstar's arguments.

It doesn't mean the court totally sided with the studio. According to Bloomberg, Judge Frances Eccles pointed out that there wasn't really any evidence showing the layoffs were because of union ties. Three employees from Canada were removed from their positions, apparently having no connections with unions. Meanwhile, many creators who were heavily involved in activities and/or discussions on the topic did not lose their jobs.

So, there's a chance the union members might still be able to prove that the layoffs are linked to union activities. Nevertheless, Rockstar emerged victorious from the first clash.

Grand Theft Auto VI

November 19, 2026

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