Source: Rockstar Games
What this means
- The tribunal's outcome could set a precedent for how game studios handle internal unionization efforts — a live issue across the industry.
- The 'mole' allegations raise hard questions about surveillance of developer communication channels at major studios.
- Nothing here affects GTA 6's November 19, 2026 release date — this is a labor dispute, not a development problem.
Key facts
- What: Employment tribunal in Glasgow over Rockstar's firing of 30+ GTA 6 developers in October 2025.
- Who: HR director Charlie Kinloch questioned over an alleged Discord mole ('AB') and the firings' timing.
- When: Testimony given this week; the hearing continues next week.
- Context: The firings came days before Rockstar announced GTA 6's delay from May to November 2026.
Rockstar Games HR director and co-studio manager Charlie Kinloch faced hours of questioning at an employment tribunal in Glasgow, Scotland, this week over the company's mass firing of more than 30 developers in October 2025, Kotaku reports.
Rockstar maintains the developers were dismissed for gross misconduct, including leaking sensitive information about GTA 6's development. The fired developers allege the real motive was union busting, claiming Rockstar wanted to stop the UK trade union IWGB from gaining a foothold at the company.
A central claim in the hearing: a junior employee operating under the alias "AB" acted as a mole, passing screenshots of union activity in a developer Discord server to Kinloch for more than two years. The fired developers say the group was just 12 members short of the threshold for union recognition when Rockstar acted. Kinloch testified he had no interest in their union status and only wanted to limit the risk of leaks, Eurogamer reports.
Lawyers pressed Kinloch on the timing: Rockstar had held the Discord information for 18 months but fired the developers only at the end of October 2025, days before announcing GTA 6's delay from May 2026 to November 2026. Kinloch argued the firings were urgent because the Discord was growing exponentially and a leak on the cusp of the delay announcement could have caused serious commercial damage.
The hearing continues next week with more Rockstar management witnesses expected. The fired developers have asked players not to boycott GTA 6 but to support their legal case instead.
Sources
Based on detailed tribunal testimony reported by two independent Tier-2 outlets (Kotaku and Eurogamer). The 'mole' and union-busting claims are allegations being contested in court, reported as claims throughout.
