‘Grand Theft Auto VI' makers face employment case in Scotland over sackings

This publicity photo released by Rockstar Games shows a screen shot from the video game 'Grand Theft Auto V.' (AP Photo/Rockstar Games) Rockstar Games, the studio behind the highly anticipated video game Grand Theft Auto VI, will appear before an employment tribunal in Glasgow from Thursday over the sacking of 31 workers. Since the 1997 original, the gangster shooter 'Grand Theft Auto' series has sold over 470 million copies worldwide. The union bringing the case and Rockstar Games' lawyers said Monday the hearing before the Glasgow employment tribunal will run from Sept. 10 to Oct. 16. It comes before the Nov. 19 launch of the sixth instalment in the GTA series, which the company, a subsidiary of U.S. giant Take-Two Interactive, is developing in Edinburgh. Accused by the company of having shared confidential information, 31 employees were dismissed in Britain in October 2025, sparking protests outside the group's offices. The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) accuses Rockstar of targeting workers because of trade union activities and blacklisting them, a claim denied by the company. The IWGB said in a statement that the company denied them 'basic procedural protections by refusing to follow a disciplinary process or provide right of appeal'. According to the union, Rockstar Games said the employees had been dismissed over messages posted on a private union channel on Discord, in violation of their confidentiality agreements. 'None of us imagined that talking to each other about our working conditions would turn our lives upside down and catapult us into the centre of a global media storm,' said Jason Lewis, a former employee, in a statement shared by the IWGB. '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.' A spokesperson for Rockstar Games said it had been 'clear and consistent throughout'. 'Individuals across the U.K. and Canada were dismissed for gross misconduct following the sharing of confidential company information, not because of alleged trade union membership or activity,' it said in a statement sent to AFP. 'We reject the claims and will defend them vigorously before the tribunal.' The U.K.-wide system of employment tribunals deal with civil employment disputes including unfair dismissal and breaches of employment law rights. The second best-selling game in the history of the industry, GTA VI features a couple of hoodlums, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, in a setting inspired by Florida.