Rockstar had a mole in the union worker Discord server "for over two and a half years", GTA 6 company reveals during legal battle
In a development that sounds straight out of a corporate thriller, Rockstar Games, the powerhouse behind the highly anticipated GTA 6, is currently locked in a heated legal battle with 34 former UK employees. The drama began in October 2025, when these workers were abruptly terminated for "gross misconduct," with Rockstar alleging they'd compromised confidential information by posting in a Discord server set up by union organizers.
The ousted employees and their representatives aren't taking this lying down. They've launched a lawsuit, claiming Rockstar's true motive was far more insidious: to stifle their efforts to unionize and prevent the union from gaining enough members for official recognition under UK law. This legal showdown is now unfolding at an employment tribunal in Glasgow, promising a lengthy and contentious process.
Adding a dramatic twist to the proceedings, recent legal filings from Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, have revealed a bombshell: Rockstar allegedly had a "mole" or "whistleblower" embedded within the union's Discord server for over two and a half years. This internal informant was reportedly feeding the company information about the server's users, painting a picture of corporate surveillance that significantly ups the ante in this high-stakes labor dispute.
Our take
Live commentary on a developing story, not a final verdict.
Well, if Rockstar wanted to prove they could write a compelling real-world narrative, they're certainly doing it here. The firing of 34 employees, allegedly for chatting in a union Discord, already felt like a heavy-handed move in an industry increasingly grappling with worker rights. But the revelation that Rockstar reportedly had a 'mole' deep inside a private union server for two and a half years? That's not just heavy-handed; that's straight-up corporate espionage, complete with a long-term undercover operation. It certainly reframes the narrative from a simple "gross misconduct" dismissal to a much more calculated move.
The optics for Rockstar and Take-Two are frankly, not great. While they might frame their informant as a 'whistleblower,' the timing and context suggest a highly proactive approach to monitoring and potentially undermining unionization efforts. In an era where employees across tech and gaming are pushing for better conditions and collective bargaining, this alleged tactic could solidify the public perception that some corporations will go to extreme lengths to prevent worker organization. It leaves you wondering what other tactics might emerge as these tribunal filings continue to drop.
This is our take on a developing story, not the final word — read the original reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun ↗
