A group of fired Rockstar Games workers rallied at the Glasgow Tribunal Center in Glasgow as their hearing began. Rockstar Games and the 31 laid off employees, represented by the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain, will appear in front of the tribunal over the firing, which the IWGB Union has called "unlawful." The hearing is expected to run until Oct. 16 according to an IWGB Union news release, a month short of Grand Theft Auto 6's Nov. 19 release date.
People gathered for the rally with IWGB flags and signs supporting the fired employees. "Say sorry, be nice! Reinstate your fired workers," one reads. That sign references an Easter egg from across Rockstar Games' video games, including Grand Theft Auto 6. Former Rockstar Games programmer Rachel Crawford, who worked at the company for just under 10 years, gave a speech about being fired. "The modern workplace runs on fear," she said in a video circulating on social media. "Fear of speaking out, fear of being punished, fear of being fired, losing your livelihood, and even your home."
Closing out the rally, @nershly.bsky.social beautifully speaks about her experience being fired by Rockstar and how they try to use fear.
— Austin Kelmore (@austinkelmore.com) September 10, 2026 at 4:46 AM
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Thirty one workers were fired in October 2025 for allegedly "discussing confidential information in a public forum," Rockstar Games says. The IWGB disputes that; it argued that the workers were fired for attempting to unionize. The communication in a "public forum," it said, was just employees discussing unionization amongst each other in a private Discord server—not talking about the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. Later, a Rockstar Games representative told Bloomberg that the layoff "was in no way related to people’s right to join a union or engage in union activities."
The union filed its claims against Rockstar Games in November 2025, kicking off the process that began Thursday. Eventually, the union's concerns reached the U.K. Parliament, where two members of Parliament asked the prime minister to address the case and ensure Rockstar Games is following employment law.
IWGB asked the tribunal for "interim relief" that would ensure the fired employees were paid during the process and that their work visas would remain valid. The Glasgow Employment Tribunal rejected that request in January 2026.
Several months later, in May, Rockstar Games' U.K.-based employees officially announced their union. The tribunal process continued throughout preliminary hearings. Thursday's hearing is where both sides will make their official arguments. When the Glasgow Employment Tribunal reaches its decision, it's likely to be published on the government website.
"As the world prepares for the release of GTA VI, we are reliving the heartbreak of being thrown out of a project we poured so much of our lives into," former Rockstar Games systems technical designer Jason Lewis said in a statement. "We lost our jobs, our income, our community and the chance to see the game through to release after spending years helping to build it. It was devastating.
"We have fought tooth and nail to get to this point, not just to be able to win justice for ourselves, but to draw a line in the sand for any employer that thinks it can attack workers for unionising. It has been an emotional journey and it is not over yet, but we can now see the finish line, and justice at last feels within reach."
Rockstar Games did not immediately respond to Aftermath's request for comment.
