More than 30 employees were fired by Rockstar in October last year in what the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) called “the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry”.

Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar has lost a legal battle which means fired unionised workers can continue to bring blacklisting claims against the influential games studio.

More than 30 employees were fired by Rockstar in October last year in what the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) called “the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry”.

The right of the fired IWGB-affiliated workers to bring blacklisting claims against the studio at the final trial was upheld in the latest preliminary employment tribunal decision, Game Developer reported.

The House of Commons library describes blacklisting as the practice of “compiling or exchanging information on workers’ union membership with a view to discriminating against them in employment”.

Rockstar maintains that the sackings were a result of employees leaking confidential information in a Discord channel. IWGB insists that workers “only communicated in private and legally-protected trade union channels”.

The final trial will run later this year from 10 September to 15 October, meaning it will end only a month before Grand Theft Auto 6’s release on 19 November.

The game is set to be one of the biggest releases in entertainment history and is projected to generate $7.6bn (£5.67bn) in revenue in its first two months.

Ellie Dunstan, one of the fired workers, said: “Losing our passion, our colleagues and our incomes in the blink of an eye was devastating, and the company management has treated us with disdain ever since, refusing to grant us appeals or respond to basic evidence requests.

“After months of fighting to have our voices heard, this is a moment to celebrate. The judgment shows that even against a company with Rockstar’s resources, workers can stand together and demand accountability.”

IWGB game workers branch chair Spring McParlin-Jones said: “The tribunal has refused to let Rockstar off the hook, finding that serious factual questions remain about how these workers were identified, listed and dismissed – questions that must now be tested at a full hearing.”

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