More witness cross-examination time required.
The ongoing employment tribunal between Grand Theft Auto 6 developer Rockstar Games and IWBG union members laid off from the studio has been extended into November..
The case was initially meant to end this Friday, but due to questioning of witnesses running long, the courts have pushed back the much-anticipated closing submission dates into November. This is when both Rockstar and IWGB legal representatives will present their closing arguments to the judge for a final verdict to be cast.
This extension was granted for a handful of reasons, perhaps most importantly because of a request from Rockstar's lawyers to have additional time to crossexamine some of the laid-off employees. Meanwhile, this week, IWGB continues to cross-examine Rockstar witnesses in what is proving to be an eye-opening and lengthy process.
As part of this extension, two additional dates have been added to the trial, on the 17th and 18th of November. Notably, this is one day prior to the release of GTA 6. Whether this is good or bad for Rockstar or the IWGB we'll have to wait and see. Maybe noise around the game's release will attract more attention to the case, or maybe it will drown it out.
The employment tribunal stems from the sudden firing of over 30 Rockstar employees in late 2025 for alleged gross misconduct, all of whom were present in a union Discord channel. The IWGB alleges this to be an effort to union-bust by Rockstar, whereas the developer claims it was due to the unauthorised sharing of information. Indeed, last Friday, one of the heads of Rockstar Lincoln claimed he was disinterested in evidence showing efforts to unionise in the run up to these firings, and was instead focused on other matters such as the formation of a union Twitter account.
How this case plays out is still up in the air. As one of the landmark legal cases in UK games industry history, the consequences of a Rockstar or IWGB win could reverberate for quite some time.
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