The primary Rockstar employees who’re embroiled in a authorized battle with the corporate have informed followers they shouldn’t boycott GTA 6 to protest on their behalf.
With GTA 6 due out in November, and the ultimate listening to of the employees’ proceedings in opposition to Rockstar set to start in Glasgow subsequent month, the Unbiased Staff’ Union of Nice Britain (IWGB) requested backers to purchase T-shirts to assist fund the authorized battle as a substitute.
Rockstar has insisted the staff it fired late final yr have been dismissed as a result of they leaked sport options for upcoming and unannounced titles in Discord, not as a result of they have been attempting to unionize. 34 members of employees at Rockstar have been dismissed — 31 within the UK and three in Canada — sparking protests exterior the workplace of GTA 6 developer Rockstar North in Edinburgh, Scotland, and out of doors mum or dad firm Take-Two’s workplace in London.
Rockstar believes the alleged leaked info to be important and associated to sport options round GTA 6. This contains particular sport options, feedback on the general progress of GTA 6 improvement, timelines to launch, and firm IT safety protocols. Rockstar believes that if the feedback in query had leaked they’d have been massive gaming information and would possibly even have affected Take-Two’s share worth. When Rockstar officially announced that GTA 6 would be delayed by six months to November 19, 2026, the market worth of Take-Two plummeted $3.75 billion in a single day.
Rockstar has additionally pointed to its well-established zero tolerance method to leaks, highlighting that it dismissed a Rockstar worker in Lincoln, UK in April 2025, who it alleged disclosed confidential details about GTA 6 to a 3rd social gathering who revealed the data to social media, and dismissed an worker within the U.S. in November 2023 and one other in India in November 2025 for 2 separate acts of knowledge leaking.
Now, the fired employees have filmed a video by which they define their case, and urge followers to not boycott GTA 6. They’re pointing to a spread of T-shirts launched to boost cash in direction of their authorized prices.
Jack Hoxby, IWGB Sport Staff Department member fired by Rockstar final yr, stated: “We poured years of our lives into serving to construct this sport. We do not need you to boycott it. We would like you to assist us struggle for justice.
“Since Rockstar fired us abruptly final yr, we’ve seen an unimaginable outpouring of assist from players and employees around the globe.
“Some individuals have requested whether or not they need to boycott GTA 6 to protest on our behalf. However there’s a greater option to assist us and maintain Rockstar to account.
“Purchase considered one of our T-shirts. You’ll be serving to to win justice for us and to defend the fitting of employees all over the place to return collectively and unionise.
“That manner, when GTA 6 comes out in November, you’ll be able to get pleasure from it understanding that you just had the backs of the individuals who made it.”
Whereas this obvious boycott was by no means going to place a dent in GTA 6’s gross sales success (Take-Two chief has already hailed GTA 6 preorders as “unprecedented”), the IWGB is aiming to take care of a presence within the public eye because the essential ultimate listening to will get underway in September.
In June, Rockstar developers applied for voluntary recognition of the IWGB Game Workers Union in a bid to make the celebrated developer the second UK video games studio with a acknowledged union.
If acknowledged, the union would give its members extra protections and rights by way of a proper construction for collective bargaining on points together with pay transparency, versatile working, and extreme extra time (crunch), the IWGB stated in an announcement. Disco Elysium developer ZA/UM is at the moment the one UK studio with formal union recognition.
The IWGB claims to signify a “good portion” of the Rockstar workforce throughout its workplaces in Edinburgh, Dundee, Lincoln, Leeds, and London, and that its existence has contributed to “unprecedented” common pay rises and monetary incentives for crunch for the primary time ever.
A spokesperson from Rockstar Video games issued IGN the next assertion on the time: “We try to make the most effective video games doable by giving our gifted groups world-class work environments and ongoing profession alternatives. We have now fostered a tradition which is concentrated on teamwork, excellence, and kindness, and the place we assist and reward the workforce throughout all ranges of the enterprise by aggressive compensation and advantages insurance policies. We’re proud that consequently, our worker retention is effectively above the business customary.
“We have now acquired a request from a union in search of to debate voluntary recognition. We worth an open and constructive dialogue with all stakeholders and can prepare to fulfill.”
Rockstar can refuse to acknowledge the union, which might then open the door to the IWGB submitting its utility for statutory recognition from the Division for Enterprise and Commerce’s Central Arbitration Committee (CAC). However may its members go on strike? The IWGB informed IGN “members will resolve on the organising technique they use to safe” recognition.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
