Fired Rockstar staff: don't boycott GTA VI, buy our T-shirt instead
Former Rockstar developers suing the studio have asked fans not to boycott GTA VI. The IWGB union is selling a T-shirt to fund their case, and the final hearing starts in Glasgow in September.
The Rockstar developers fired last year, who are now taking the studio to court, have asked fans not to boycott GTA VI on their behalf. In a video and a social media post published by the IWGB (Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain), they ask supporters to buy a T-shirt instead, with the money going towards their legal costs. IGN, GamesRadar+ and Eurogamer all reported the appeal.
The final hearing of the case is set to begin in Glasgow in September.
"Don't boycott GTA VI. Fight for justice for the people who made it," the IWGB post reads. The T-shirt is available to pre-order now, and according to GamesRadar+, all proceeds go to the dismissed developers. In the video the workers say they were let go "without representation, evidence or a chance to respond", and add: "But that doesn't mean we want you to let Rockstar off the hook."
Jack Hoxby, a fired developer and member of the IWGB Game Workers Branch, told IGN: "We poured years of our lives into helping build this game. We don't want you to boycott it. We want you to help us fight for justice." Buying a shirt, he said, would help "defend the right of workers everywhere to come together and unionise."
How many, and why
According to IGN and GamesRadar+, Rockstar dismissed 34 people: 31 in the UK and three in Canada. Eurogamer puts the number at 31. The firings led to protests outside Rockstar North's office in Edinburgh and Take-Two's office in London.
Rockstar's position comes from its earlier statements, not a new response. The studio says the employees were dismissed for gross misconduct, specifically for leaking features of upcoming and unannounced games on Discord, and not for trying to unionise. It says the alleged leaks covered GTA VI features, development progress, launch timelines and IT security protocols. Rockstar denies all union-busting allegations and points to its zero-tolerance approach to leaks, citing earlier dismissals in the U.S. (November 2023), in Lincoln, UK (April 2025) and in India (November 2025).
Union talks and sales
In June, Rockstar developers applied for voluntary recognition of the IWGB Game Workers Union. Rockstar said it had received the request and would arrange a meeting. At the moment, ZA/UM is the only UK studio with formal union recognition.
The workers' call is not likely to cost Take-Two much either way. GTA VI became a top seller on the PlayStation Store when it went up for pre-order, a Take-Two executive has called the pre-orders "unprecedented", and Eurogamer reports that Strauss Zelnick is not worried about the legal battle hurting sales.
The final hearing opens in Glasgow next month.
