A UK tribunal has refused interim relief for dismissed GTA VI developers, backing Rocksta Games’ claim that the firings were due to alleged information leaks rather than union activity, while leaving the broader unfair dismissal case unresolved.
A UK employment tribunal has rejected an application for interim relief brought by former developers working on Grand Theft Auto VI, backing Rockstar Games’ insistence that recent dismissals were justified and unrelated to union activity.
The Glasgow Employment Tribunal ruled that the high legal threshold for interim relief had not been met, meaning the 34 dismissed staff will not be temporarily reinstated or returned to payroll while they await a full hearing.
Responding to the decision, Rockstar said it “welcomed” the outcome and reiterated its position.
The company said in a statement: “We regret that we were put in a position where dismissals were necessary, but we stand by our course of action as supported by the outcome of this hearing.”
The case centres on allegations from the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which claims Rockstar unlawfully targeted union members in late 2025.
Rockstar has consistently denied the accusation, arguing that staff in the UK, Canada, India and the U.S. were fired after internal investigations found they had shared “highly confidential information” about unannounced projects in public or insecure Discord channels.
In her ruling, Judge Eccles noted that some dismissed employees were not union members, undermining claims that union activity was a determining factor.
The judge also accepted Rockstar’s argument that sharing confidential material with third parties – including individuals outside the company – constituted a leak, even if the information was not widely published.
Rockstar has pointed to a long-standing zero-tolerance approach to leaks, citing previous dismissals in 2023 and 2025 for similar breaches.
The company has also warned that such disclosures could materially affect its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, whose market value fell sharply by $3.75 billion after Rockstar confirmed a delay to GTA VI late last year.
The IWGB described the ruling as “disappointing” but stressed it does not prejudge the outcome of the full unfair dismissal tribunal, which is still to come.
GTA VI: Rockstar ‘stands by its course of action’ as judge rejects fired devs’ calls for relief
