A rally was held in Glasgow, Scotland, today to mark the beginning of the final workplace tribunal hearing concerning 31 former Rockstar employees who were dismissed in October 2025. The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union is representing the former employees in the dispute.
The core of the disagreement lies in the stated reasons for the terminations. Rockstar maintains that the employees were fired for leaking information about unannounced games, while the IWGB asserts that the dismissals constitute union busting. The union also contends that Rockstar failed to follow a proper disciplinary process or offer any avenues for appeal.
Alex Marshall, president of the IWGB union, stated, "We believe Rockstar has tried to get away with Grand Theft Employment Rights." He added, "After a year of fighting to get answers, we hope this tribunal will finally back them into a corner and bring the truth to light. As the world gets its first proper look at GTA 6, this hearing will give people a chance to look behind the scenes at what happened to the workers who helped make it."
Rachel Crawford, a former Rockstar programmer who worked on Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 and was among those fired, delivered a speech at the rally. "The modern workplace runs on fear. Fear of speaking out. Fear of being punished. Fear of being fired, losing your livelihood and even your home," Crawford stated. She described her own termination on October 30, 2025, as occurring "without warning and without even being given a clear answer as to what it was I'd done to deserve it."
Crawford detailed the immediate aftermath of her dismissal, feeling "humiliated and ashamed" and replaying the events in her mind. She observed fear affecting her former colleagues, some of whom were too afraid to speak to her or even look at her. "I heard it every time the ones who did speak to me told me how powerless they felt to do anything to stop or undo what had happened, even though they knew it was wrong," she recounted.
"Fear wants to rule us. It closes our minds, our hearts, and our horizons. It makes us small, sad and hopeless," Crawford continued. "But today, we are fighting fear. This long-awaited hearing is an opportunity to put fear in its place below us. Over the next five weeks we will face fear and show that we refuse to be silenced by it. In spite of fear, we will stand up proudly, speak our truth, and demand a better industry—a better world—that we all deserve."
The tribunal is scheduled to conclude on October 16. The IWGB and the affected employees have requested that the public not boycott Grand Theft Auto 6, which is set to release on November 19. They stated, "we spent years pouring our hard work, skill, and creativity into making GTA, and we want people to experience the universe that we helped build." Supporters are encouraged to contribute to a fundraising campaign established by the IWGB to support the legal action.