Rockstar Accused of Rewarding Union Informants With Time Off at GTA 6 Firings Tribunal

Rockstar Games rewarded an employee with time off for passing on messages from a private union Discord server, the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has alleged at an employment tribunal in Glasgow. The claim came during cross-examination of Rockstar's head of publishing, Jennifer Kolbe, Vertical Slice reported on October 16, 2026.

Rockstar calls the allegations "baseless" and says the informants were "whistleblowers". The tribunal concerns more than 30 staff Rockstar dismissed in October 2025, which the company says was for leaking confidential information and the union says was to stop it organizing.

What the tribunal was shown

The IWGB's lawyers put to Kolbe an exchange between Rockstar HR manager Julie Stephen and an employee described as an "information provider". The employee said they had spent an hour "going through everything" on the union's Discord server and taking screenshots, then asked to take an hour off the next day. Stephen replied "no worries" and approved the request in the company's HR system, according to Vertical Slice.

The informant's name is redacted in the legal documents. An earlier hearing, covered by Kotaku on October 9, heard that someone under the alias "AB" passed screenshots of union activity to Rockstar Lincoln's HR director Charlie Kinloch for more than two years. The fired developers allege AB and others were given "time off in lieu" in return. Rockstar says AB shared information of their own accord.

Rockstar's position

Rockstar maintains that it dismissed the employees for gross misconduct, including leaking sensitive information about GTA 6's development. It told the tribunal it "did not know whether the claimants were union members", and that it accessed only the server's public channels, TheGamer reported. Rockstar's VP of HR, Robert Spampinato, denied any "compiling of information" and said he did not know anyone had been asked to gather it.

Kotaku reported that Kinloch knew of the Discord comments in March and June 2025, while the dismissals came at the end of October 2025, days before Rockstar announced that GTA 6 had been delayed. The union's lawyer questioned why the action was described as urgent.

When does the tribunal end?

The hearing is due to conclude on November 18, 2026, one day before GTA 6 launches.