An employment tribunal involving former Rockstar workers opened in Glasgow on Thursday, September 10, 2026, and is scheduled to run through October 16, 2026, according to Game Developer and PC Gamer. Fired staff and supporters rallied outside Glasgow Tribunal Centre as the hearing began. Evidence sessions were expected to continue after opening legal discussion.
Reporting converges on roughly 31 UK members of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) dismissed in late 2025, plus workers in Canada also tied to the dispute in broader counts (~34 total in Game Developer’s wrap). BBC separately notes 23 claimants proceeding at the tribunal — a narrower courtroom cohort than the ~31 UK IWGB dismissals cited elsewhere; this desk flags that caveat rather than collapsing the numbers into one invented headcount.
Rockstar’s public position, restated to Game Developer and BBC, is that the individuals were dismissed for gross misconduct after sharing confidential company information (including messages in a private Discord channel used amid organizing discussions), not because of trade union membership or activity. The IWGB alleges unlawful union-busting, targeting/blacklisting, and denied procedural protections (including limited disciplinary process and appeal), and workers are seeking findings of unfair dismissal plus reinstatement or compensation. This draft does not predict a verdict.
PC Gamer notes the union has asked supporters not to boycott Grand Theft Auto VI, instead pointing people toward the union’s legal fundraiser and arguing the fired cohort still wants players to experience the game they helped build. Launch timing is unchanged in the materials checked: GTA VI remains November 19, 2026 — no date change is announced here. For RCG’s live unlock calendar read, see GTA 6 PS5 Unlocks at Midnight EST Nov 19.
What we are not saying: no predicted tribunal outcome; no invented GTA VI date change; no US-case outcome claim; and no claim that the union is calling for a GTA VI boycott.
