Fired Rockstar Workers Tell Fans: Don't Boycott GTA 6 — Support Our Legal Fight Instead
Fired Rockstar Games workers have a message for Grand Theft Auto 6 fans: don't boycott the game. Help pay for the legal battle instead.
In a video and social media post released by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), the 31 UK staff members dismissed by Rockstar last year for what the company called "gross misconduct" asked supporters to channel their outrage into funding the ongoing employment tribunal between the union and the studio. All 31 were IWGB members. Three additional staff in Canada were also dismissed, bringing the total to 34 (Eurogamer, IGN).
The workers have described the dismissals as a "calculated attack on workers" exercising their legal rights (Action Network). Rockstar Games denies all allegations of union busting (Eurogamer).
To raise funds, the IWGB has produced a T-shirt designed by the fired workers themselves. It is ethically made, available for pre-order, and all proceeds go toward legal costs for the dismissed developers (Eurogamer, YouTube).
Protests broke out outside Rockstar's offices following the dismissals (IGN). But the fired workers' plea is notably specific: they are not asking fans to skip the biggest game on the horizon. They are asking them to back the tribunal that could hold Rockstar accountable.
Grand Theft Auto 6 opened for pre-order late last month and immediately became a top seller on the PlayStation Store worldwide (Eurogamer). Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, is led by CEO Strauss Zelnick, who said he is not concerned about the legal battle's impact on those sales (Eurogamer).
What makes the workers' stance striking is the restraint. A boycott call aimed at GTA 6 would land differently than almost any other game — it is the industry's most anticipated release. Instead, the fired staff are betting that a funded legal challenge does more than a consumer protest ever could.
The employment tribunal, a formal UK process for resolving workplace disputes, will determine whether the dismissals were lawful. Until then, the workers' message is simple: buy the game if you want, but put a few pounds toward the fight.
