A few weeks before the highly anticipated release of its game “Grand Theft Auto VI” (GTA VI), Rockstar Games appeared before an employment tribunal in Glasgow on Thursday: around twenty former employees are contesting their dismissal by the studio, which accuses them of having shared confidential information. The procedure is expected to last several weeks until October 16.
The company, which cultivates a culture of secrecy, has several sites in the United Kingdom, including the main one in Edinburgh, where its Rockstar North studio is the historic birthplace of its GTA franchise, one of the most iconic and best-selling in the video game industry. The 23 plaintiffs, who worked in Lincoln (England), Dundee (Scotland) and Edinburgh, are among 31 employees fired in October 2025 in the country for having, according to Rockstar, violated their confidentiality agreements by exchanging messages on the Discord platform.
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But for the IWGB (Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain), which is demanding their reinstatement or compensation, they were in reality targeted because of their union activity. The organization also considers “illegal” the way in which they were dismissed, without disciplinary procedure or right of appeal. The company, which contests these accusations, assured in a press release to AFP that these employees had been dismissed "for serious misconduct following the sharing of confidential information (...) and not because of their alleged union membership or activity."
“Secrets”
In preliminary remarks released Thursday and seen by AFP, the studio claims that nearly 350 people participated in the discussion forum on Discord, including “disgruntled former employees, competitors and a journalist” known for his articles critical of the franchise. According to Rockstar, some members made insulting remarks towards the hierarchy, others mentioned the company's security protocols, the state of progress of GTA VI or even features of the game, "one of the company's best kept secrets".
The company, a subsidiary of the American giant Take-Two Interactive, also explains that it lives under the constant threat of leaks around the November 19 release of GTA VI, on track to become the biggest launch of an entertainment product of all time, thirteen years after the previous part. Certain new sequences from the game, which features a duo of “Bonnie and Clyde”-style protagonists in a universe inspired by Florida, were also leaked this summer on the Internet, prompting the studio to release a long preview at the end of August.
The plaintiffs' lawyers say in their own opening remarks that the exchanges in question took place on "a secure and private platform, accessible only by invitation to employees" of Rockstar Games "and representatives of the IWGB", not to the public.
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“Culture of fear”
They allege the existence of two “moles”, who reported the compromising messages to the director of human resources. Until these layoffs, which the union places a few days after having reached the threshold of 10% of members, necessary for its recognition within the company. “You have the impression that by being a union member, you find yourself with a target on your back,” Lloyd Knott, 42, a member of the IWGB, who worked on the visual effects of GTA VI, told AFP. He denounces a “culture of fear” in the video game world and notes Rockstar’s zeal in matters of security.
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“I didn’t know if I could one day work in the sector again” or “keep my home,” regrets Branimira Yordanova, 31, also made redundant. “To say that the effects were devastating is not enough to describe them,” continues this lighting specialist.
Around forty people carrying banners denouncing “union dismantling” gathered in front of the court before the hearing. Some current employees were present. Three other employees were also dismissed in Canada, but are not affected by these proceedings before the Glasgow employment tribunal.
