Rockstar Union Court Case Potentially Reveals First GTA 6 Online Details - GameSpot
January 14, 2026 at 1:45 PM
A legal showdown between Rockstar Games and the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) may have inadvertently surfaced the first concrete hint about GTA 6 Online: internal QA messages referencing 32-player test sessions.
What surfaced in court:
- During a preliminary hearing, Rockstar’s lawyer cited a "top-secret element of GTA 6," asking the judge to review it privately.
- Because no reporting restrictions were requested, People Make Games arranged to view the exhibits and published the relevant messages.
What the messages say:
- A dismissed QA staffer, part of a 56-person team, complained about tightened leave approvals and referenced a "large session" of 32 players.
- Another message suggested multiple QA studios could organize a 32-player session to ease scheduling.
Why Rockstar says it matters:
- Rockstar labeled the Discord posts "highly confidential and commercially sensitive," claiming they reveal the planned online player count for an unannounced service—widely interpreted as GTA 6 Online.
How it compares to expectations:
- A 32-player cap matches current GTA Online sessions and undercuts rumors that next-gen servers would jump to 64 or even 96 players.
What else triggered dismissals:
- Conversations about crunch, generative AI concerns, and changes to employee perks were cited as "gross misconduct."
- One 15-word line—"Nothing that I’ve heard in North QA! Will keep you updated if that changes ofc."—was argued to expose working patterns that could hint at development stages.
Where the case stands now:
- The Glasgow Employment Tribunal denied interim relief for the more than 30 dismissed workers at this preliminary stage.
- The full unfair-dismissal trial is still ahead.