GTA 6 Dev Rockstar Accused Of Rewarding Union Moles With Time Off

Rockstar Accused Of Rewarding Moles For Spying On Union Members Published Oct 18, 2026, 9:24 AM EDT James Lucas is an Executive Editor at TheGamer who has worked in professional journalism since 2018. A Newcastle University graduate with a degree in Journalism, Media, and Culture, they have written hundreds of guides, news stories, and original reports, with bylines in IGN, NME, GaymingMag, and VG247, sourcing interviews with studio heads, legendary industry figures, prominent actors, and more. An expert on FPS games, Soulslikes, RPGs, and survival horror, James has intimate knowledge of a wide variety of titles, providing in-depth coverage and exclusive profiles. Some of the games they have extensively covered include: Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Elden Ring, and Fallout. They pride themselves on their consistently thorough research, leveraging nearly a decade of industry experience. You can reach them at James.t@thegamer.com Sign in to your TheGamer account The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has accused Rockstar Games of offering "sweeteners" to informants allegedly spying on a private union Discord server. As reported by former Game Developer editor Chris Kerr for Vertical Slice, the GTA 6 developer has spent the last year facing allegations of union busting from the IWGB after dismissing more than 30 employees. Rockstar maintains that the workers were fired for leaking confidential information, with the dispute now the subject of an employment tribunal in Glasgow. During proceedings, Rockstar head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe was shown evidence of an exchange between HR manager Julie Stephen and an alleged informant, referred to as an "information provider." The messages suggest Stephen offered the employee additional time off in exchange for spying on the private server. The informant said they were "going through everything" and taking screenshots before asking Stephen if they could take an hour off the following day. Her alleged response? "No worries." The identity of the informant has been redacted from legal documents, but the exchange adds another layer to the allegations surrounding Rockstar's handling of its union dispute. Rockstar Denies "Compiling Of Information" Speaking to TheGamer, former Rockstar employees said they were dismissed by the company for "gross misconduct." Union president Alex Marshall, meanwhile, described the firings as the "most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games' industry." Rockstar has denied the allegations as "baseless" and insisted it "did not know whether the claimants were union members." However, the company has admitted to accessing the server's "public channels," while an informant reportedly remained inside the server for two and a half years. The Independent reports that Rockstar's vice president of HR, Robert Spampinato, categorically denied "compiling of information," insisting he was unaware that anyone had been asked to gather it. The tribunal is currently ongoing and will conclude on November 18. Systems Released November 19, 2026 ESRB Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+ Developer(s) Rockstar Games Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Engine Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE) Genre(s) Action, Adventure