The Insider: Uncovering Rockstar’s Secret Connection in the Union Worker Discord Server

Back in October 2025, GTA 6 developers Rockstar fired a group of 34, mostly UK-based employees on a charge of “gross misconduct”, alleging that they had risked the leaking of confidential information while posting on a Discord server set up by union organisers. The ousted UK workers and their representatives have since taken Rockstar to court, accusing the company of getting rid of them to stop their union gaining enough members to win official recognition under UK law.

This week, both parties filed opening submissions at an employment tribunal in Glasgow, which Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive have emailed to RPS and Game Developer, among others. Taken together, the filings amount to over 100 pages of claims and counterclaims, with thousands of pages of evidence to be discussed in the coming weeks. Amongst other things, the docs give us more sense of events leading up to the dismissals, including the revelation that Rockstar had a mole or “whistleblower” passing them information on the people using the Discord server.

According to the court filing from the ousted workers, Rockstar employees affiliated with the IWGB Game Workers union set up what would become known as the Rockstar Game Workers Union Discord Server in 2022. Prior to this, the lawyers claim, there was “no official workplace channel through which concerns could be discussed independently of management.” By the time of the October 2025 dismissals, the server had around 340 members.

Rockstar management did not have direct access to the server prior to October 2025, but the former workers and their legal team allege that “from at least February 2024, [Rockstar HR director] Charlie Kinloch had been receiving information from a junior employee on trade union activity inside the Server”. They claim that “over 21 months, at least 26 meetings or communications took place between Mr Kinloch and [the junior employee] concerning the Server, roughly half of them initiated by Mr Kinloch himself”.

The “mole” is said to have “supplied screenshots and recordings, reported union meetings, training sessions and union membership numbers, and identified individual union activists”. On 7th October 2025, they allegedly informed Kinlock that the union were 12 members away from the statutory threshold for recognition – 10% of the workforce – with the union eventually reaching this milestone on 18th October. Kinloch was informed of this on 20th October, the fired workers claim. At some point in this period, they say, Rockstar management got hold of logins for the server, with Rockstar’s vice president of information security Abid Ansari eventually signing in to download “the contents of the Announcements and General channels”.

Rockstar began firing members of the Discord at the end of the month.

Rockstar’s own court submission chimes with some of this. The company’s lawyers mention three “whistleblowers” on the Discord who reported security concerns, including one member who had been leaking info to Rockstar management “for over two and a half years”. Rockstar’s lawyers say that between 13th and 16th October, a member of the server supplied Rockstar bosses with login details; prior to this, they claim, Rockstar were “largely in the dark” about events on the server, save for “occasional glimpses” care of their primary “whistleblower”.

The court filings offer wildly contrasting views about the security of the union Discord server itself. The unionised workers argue that the server was “invite-only, access-restricted and subject to verification through Rockstar’s own internal Slack platform”, explaining that people with an invite link were placed in a waiting room till they had been approved by mods, who could verify them using Rockstar’s own Slack channels before granting “substantive access”. They point out that “no confidential information is known to have leaked from the Server into the public domain”.

Rockstar, however, argue that “there were numerous ways in which the information on the Discord was vulnerable, including by a deliberate leak from a discontented Discord user, by loss or theft of the personal devices of the Discord users, by successful phishing or social engineering of one of the Discord users, or by hacking of Discord itself.” Amongst other things, they support this by saying that somebody was, in fact, leaking info from the Discord: the aforesaid “whistleblower”.

Rockstar offer a layperson breakdown of the Discord server’s structure in their filing, portraying it as essentially consisting of three “rooms”: one for IWGB union committee members only, or members of specific working groups, which Rockstar couldn’t access at all before a court-ordered disclosure on 3rd August; a second for general IWGB members, which Rockstar again couldn’t access initially; and a third “room” consisting of almost 350 people, some of whom were anonymous, while others identified themselves as Rockstar employees.

Rockstar claim that “26 on an initial analysis” of the people in the third “room” were not actually employees, while 10 others were former staff, including a few who had “left in poor standing with the business and were therefore well motivated to cause harm to it”. The ousted workers acknowledge that “former employees” were members of the Discord, but say they were confined to certain channels, and not present in the General and Announcements channels to which Rockstar initially gained direct access. Rockstar also repeat an earlier accusation that one member of the wider Discord group was a working journalist.

As for the incriminating info being circulated, Rockstar allege that it ranged from discussion of digital and real-world security measures, through internal correspondence such as HR emails, to “closely guarded secrets” about game projects, including an “online 32 player format” for a “highly confidential” project. They also claim that Discord users shared “many, many pieces of information” regarding GTA 6’s development, including discussion of delays, overtime and crunch.

The former workers, meanwhile, argue that “no posts were witnessed as disclosing the date on which GTA VI would be released, the date of any trailer, or comparable confidential release information”, and that “the posts generally discussed workplace policies which were essential to trade union organising”. They comment that many of the posts about office goings-on considered “egregious” by Rockstar were “trivial as matters of discipline but…

Trade Union Concerns Over Alleged Unfair Treatment at Rockstar

A trade union representing its members has raised serious concerns over the treatment of former workers at Rockstar, a prominent video game company. The union claims that the abrupt firing of 34 members has had a detrimental impact on the Discord server, with a significant drop in membership and a chilling effect on participation. According to the union, this action was taken to disable the organization and deter others from joining, thus preventing the union from negotiating pay, hours, and holidays with the company.

Both sides have engaged in a legal battle, with accusations of bad language being used by both parties. The union alleges that profanity was routinely used by management at Rockstar without consequences, while the company’s lawyers accuse union members of disparaging and defaming company management. The union also highlights instances where employees were told that certain offensive language was acceptable in the workplace.

The union further claims that Rockstar has shown hostility towards unions, citing instances where union members were dismissed and warnings were issued against union organization. They argue that union advocacy could have negative implications on discussions related to flexible working, performance evaluations, and promotions.

On the other hand, Rockstar’s lawyers refute these claims, stating that the company has not dismissed every union member and is engaging constructively with a recognition request. They argue that any concerns about the union reaching the statutory requirement for recognition would have been addressed earlier if they were genuine. The company also emphasizes its commitment to a culture of respect, non-disparagement, trust, and confidence.

The union also points to past instances where Rockstar allegedly refused to engage with union members collectively, instead opting to communicate with individuals directly. This behavior has raised concerns among union members regarding the company’s approach to union representation and collective bargaining.

As the court proceedings continue, the trade union remains vigilant in advocating for the rights of its members and addressing the alleged unfair treatment at Rockstar. The full filings reveal detailed accounts of the ongoing dispute, shedding light on the complexities of the situation. For more information on this case, updates are available on Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr’s coverage on Bluesky.