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Dayne Oram, a former employee of Rockstar North, the developer behind the Grand Theft Auto series, has alleged that the company maintained a “watch list” of staff members who signed a petition regarding remote working arrangements. Oram, speaking at an employment tribunal in Glasgow, said Rockstar North monitored a select group of union-affiliated employees after the petition was submitted in spring 2023. He was among a number of workers dismissed in October last year, purportedly due to their efforts to organize a union.
Rockstar North has strongly denied these claims, asserting in court that the terminations were due to “gross misconduct” linked to the unauthorized sharing of confidential company information on an online forum. It is believed that 34 workers were dismissed last year, with 23 of them participating in the ongoing tribunal. Most of the affected employees were based at Rockstar’s Edinburgh headquarters, while a smaller number were located in Canada.
During the tribunal, Oram, represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), detailed how about 150 employees had signed the petition concerning work-from-home policies. Among these signatories, approximately 15 to 20 were union members. While Rockstar’s legal representatives argued that union membership could not be clearly identified from the petition’s signatures, Oram testified that those delivering the petition could infer which employees were union affiliated. When asked about the timing discrepancy between the petition in early 2023 and the dismissals in late 2025, Oram acknowledged that the petition was not the sole cause but maintained the terminations were connected to wider union activities. He described the petition as forming the foundation for a “watch list” targeting individuals engaged in what the company deemed “distasteful” activities.
The tribunal also explored Oram’s role in establishing a Discord server where approximately 300 Rockstar employees could discuss workplace issues. Legal counsel for Rockstar, Thomas Cordrey, highlighted rules intended to keep discussions “professional and constructive” but suggested these guidelines were frequently violated. Oram admitted the rules served more as guidelines, citing the removal of a comment that targeted a specific manager as an example of moderation in action. When questioned about a particularly derogatory post, Oram agreed it constituted misconduct but denied it rose to the level of gross misconduct. He reflected on some past moderation choices, saying, “If I had to remake some of the moderation decisions, probably I would make them differently now.”
The case unfolds against the backdrop of Rockstar’s highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 6, scheduled for 19 November. The game, featuring the series’ first female protagonist, Lucia, alongside her partner Jason, had previously experienced two delays, pushing back its launch from autumn 2025 to May 2026 before the current date was set. Pre-orders have reportedly generated hundreds of millions in revenue, setting the stage for what is expected to be a record-breaking release. A company spokesperson reiterated Rockstar’s stance, emphasizing that dismissals were tied to breaches of confidentiality, not union activities: “Rockstar Games’ position has been clear and consistent throughout. Individuals across the UK and Canada were dismissed for gross misconduct following the sharing of confidential company information, not because of alleged trade union membership or activity. We reject the claims and will defend them vigorously before the tribunal.” The hearing, overseen by Judge Lucy Wiseman, remains ongoing
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