UK tribunal refuses Rockstar's bid to drop blacklisting claims from union case, IWGB says

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said on June 17, 2026 that an employment tribunal had turned down a request from Rockstar Games to strip blacklisting claims from the trial over the dismissal of about 30 staff. Eurogamer reported the announcement. This is the union's account of the ruling; the tribunal's written decision is not quoted in the report.

According to the IWGB, Rockstar made the request at a recent preliminary hearing. Eurogamer said no further detail on the alleged blacklisting was given, and that it had asked Rockstar for more information on the claims and on why it wanted them removed. The report carried no reply from Rockstar.

The refusal meant all of the union's union-busting allegations could go to trial, Eurogamer reported. The trial was set to begin on September 10 and run until October 15.

Spring McParlin-Jones, chair of the IWGB Game Workers Branch, said the tribunal found that "serious factual questions remain" about how the workers were identified, listed and dismissed, and that these should now be examined at a full hearing. Ellie Dunstan, one of the fired workers, called the ruling "a huge moment for us" and said Rockstar "thought they could control the narrative".

Eurogamer recalled that Rockstar fired around 30 employees in October 2025, all union members, and that the company said they were dismissed for gross misconduct. The IWGB called the dismissals union busting and later filed a legal claim. More than 200 Rockstar North employees then signed a letter to management condemning the firings, Eurogamer added, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer called them "deeply concerning".

The ruling settled only what the trial would cover, not how the tribunal would decide the case. Since then, Rockstar's UK staff have been set to vote on union recognition from November 12 to 26.