Fired Rockstar Workers Ask Fans Not to Boycott GTA 6
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34 former Rockstar Games employees, fired in November 2025, have joined the IWGB union in asking GTA 6 fans not to boycott the game — and instead to support their legal case by buying Rockstar 34 Solidarity t-shirts. The tribunal’s final hearing is set for 10 September 2026 in Glasgow, a few weeks before GTA 6 launches.
Below is only what the sources directly confirm: who these people are, what they’re accused of, what the union says, and exactly what’s being sold instead of a boycott call.
Who the 34 people are, and why they were fired
According to IGN, the fired group includes 31 people in the UK and 3 more in Canada. Rockstar Games is the developer of GTA 6, a studio run under publisher Take-Two Interactive — and that’s exactly where the fired employees worked.
Rockstar officially explains the firings by saying the former employees allegedly shared and discussed confidential information on a public forum. The IWGB (Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain) insists otherwise: according to the union, the employees communicated only in a private, legally protected union channel, not on a public platform.
Both versions are presented here as the positions of each side, not as an established fact — the tribunal will issue the final ruling.
What the tribunal decided in June 2026
In June 2026, a tribunal allowed the IWGB to present all of its union-busting allegations against Rockstar at the hearing. Among them is a claim that the company kept an internal list of union members. This is a procedural ruling about which arguments will be heard, not a verdict on the merits of the case.
The 18 August video appeal, and t-shirts instead of a boycott
On 18 August 2026, the IWGB and the fired developers published a joint video appeal to fans. The core message: don’t boycott GTA 6. Jack Hoxby, an IWGB Game Workers Branch member and one of the fired employees, put the request this way: “We don’t want you to boycott the game. We want you to help us win justice.”
Instead of a boycott, fans are asked to buy a Rockstar 34 Solidarity t-shirt for 25 pounds sterling. All proceeds go into a legal “Fighting Fund” that covers the fired workers’ costs of pursuing the case.
| Event | When |
|---|---|
| 34 employees fired | November 2025 |
| Tribunal allows the union-busting allegations to be heard | June 2026 |
| IWGB video appeal and t-shirt pre-orders open | 18 August 2026 |
| T-shirt pre-orders close | 30 August 2026 |
| T-shirt shipping begins | mid-September 2026 |
| Final tribunal hearing in Glasgow | 10 September 2026 |
| GTA 6 release | 19 November 2026 |
Why fans are asked to buy merch instead of boycotting
The logic behind the appeal is straightforward: boycotting the game would hurt the studio’s sales broadly, rather than targeting the legal case of these specific 34 people. Money from t-shirt sales, by contrast, goes directly into the fund financing that exact legal fight. That’s the stated reason the former employees are publicly asking fans not to boycott the release, and instead to support them through a separate financial channel.
The legal case and the t-shirt campaign concern a labor dispute between specific people and the studio, not the content or quality of the game itself. Anyone who wants to keep following the legal process and GTA 6 more broadly should check official GTA 6 news sources rather than social media retellings.
What this means for the GTA 6 release
The legal process has no direct bearing on the date or content of the game itself. GTA 6 releases on 19 November 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series. Rockstar has made no public statements about delaying the release over this labor dispute, and none of the sources this article relies on mention any such statement. For the financial side of the story — what GTA 6 looks like in the publisher’s own investor materials — see the separate piece on GTA 6 in Take-Two’s reports.
In short
34 former Rockstar employees, fired in November 2025, are pursuing a legal case against the studio together with the IWGB union; the final tribunal hearing is set for 10 September 2026 in Glasgow. On 18 August 2026, they publicly asked fans not to boycott GTA 6, and instead to buy a Rockstar 34 Solidarity t-shirt for 25 pounds, with proceeds going toward legal costs. Rockstar and the IWGB give different explanations for the firings, and neither side yet has a final tribunal ruling in its favor.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were fired, and when?
34 former Rockstar employees, fired in November 2025. According to IGN, 31 of them worked in the UK, and 3 more in Canada.
What reason does Rockstar give for the firings?
The company says the fired workers shared and discussed confidential information on a public forum.
What does the IWGB union say in response?
The IWGB maintains the discussion happened in a private, legally protected union Discord channel, not publicly.
How much does the Rockstar 34 Solidarity t-shirt cost, and where does the money go?
25 pounds sterling. The proceeds go to a legal 'Fighting Fund' that covers the fired workers' costs of pursuing the case.
When is the final tribunal hearing?
10 September 2026 in Glasgow — a few weeks before GTA 6's release.
Will this case affect GTA 6's release date?
None of the sources this article relies on mention any statement about delaying the release over this labor dispute; the release date remains 19 November 2026.