Rockstar blacklisting claims stay in tribunal case before September 10 final hearing

Rockstar Games will face blacklisting claims in a UK employment tribunal case scheduled for a final hearing from September 10 to October 15, 2026. The IWGB says the tribunal rejected Rockstar's attempt to strike those claims from the case before trial.

The case centers on 31 IWGB union members dismissed in October 2025. The union alleges that Rockstar identified and targeted workers involved in union activity. At the preliminary stage, Rockstar tried to narrow the case by removing blacklisting claims, but the tribunal allowed those allegations to continue to the final hearing.

The timing matters for players because the hearing is set to conclude just over a month before Grand Theft Auto VI's planned November 19, 2026 release date. The ruling does not decide the underlying claims; it keeps the scope of the case broad enough for those claims to be tested at trial.

The r/Games thread was careful about that distinction. Some comments called it a normal pre-trial ruling rather than a final win, while others saw it as a meaningful labor development because Rockstar could not remove the blacklisting issue. Original statement: IWGB.