When Mark Neill’s wife gave birth to their second son, he should have been focused on the joy of welcoming a new child into the family. Instead, nine days later, he received a three-minute phone call that ended his 12-year career at Rockstar Games — the gaming giant behind the blockbuster Grand Theft Auto franchise.

Neill was one of 34 workers summarily dismissed by Rockstar on October 30 and 31 last year — just days before the company announced that the highly anticipated GTA 6 would be delayed. The official reason? Alleged leaking of confidential information. But the dismissed workers and their union, the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), are telling a very different story: one of illegal union-busting, procedural cruelty, and a blatant disregard for workers’ rights.


