In the process between the dismissed employees and GTA 6 and Rockstar, the studio claims that “highly sensitive materials” were discussed, which they did not want to announce yet. However, as they had to provide evidence for this, Rockstar leaked exactly the feature they wanted to protect.
What did Rockstar have to prove? During a preliminary hearing regarding the dispute between Rockstar Games and the dismissed employees, both sides presented their own evidence to support their case. This mainly concerned the decision of whether the dismissed employees were entitled to interim compensation. This would mean that Rockstar has to continue paying their salaries until the final hearing.
Rockstar argues with various accusations, including the dissemination of “highly sensitive materials” on an internal company Discord channel. These were so “strictly confidential” that they should not be read aloud in court. However, the evidence for this accusation subsequently became available to the public.
The team from “People Make Games” examined the printed evidence closely and indeed found the “strictly confidential” feature that Rockstar was trying to keep from the public.
Collected evidence amounts to over 2,000 pages
What feature is being referred to? The team from People Make Games examined the submitted evidence from Rockstar Games, which included three thick binders containing over 2,000 pages of material.
In their video on YouTube, they emphasize that there is only physical evidence, so during the few hours they had, they could only skim through many of the pages. They were looking for interesting content that was relevant to the hearing.
They also highlight that the strictly confidential feature is said to involve multiplayer sessions with up to 32 players. This has not yet been officially announced by Rockstar but circulated on the internal company Discord channel when the exact number of players was mentioned in writing.
The Rockstar executives around the Housers (Dan and Sam) are unlikely to be happy about having to disclose internal information in the course of the court proceedings. Rockstar Games has been known for its strategy of isolation for many years. They take every possible measure to prevent leaks. Official interviews are rare. The dismissals of the employees involved in the current court proceedings underscore this.
The discussion on Discord, and Rockstar’s alleged misconduct of the employees, refers to the fact that the QA team at Rockstar had taken vacation and therefore they could not assemble 32 players. The exact message used as evidence for the violation was as follows:
“No idea, they said the big session today was ‘difficult’, but that was 32 players, I don’t know why that should have been difficult.” (Source: YouTube)
What other messages were considered “misconduct” by Rockstar Games? Conversations between employees included concerns about potential crunch times, possible elimination of cafeteria benefits, and worries about the use of generative AI. The chat also addressed pressure regarding commuting to and from the office in dangerous weather.
Additionally, some “stronger” words and insults were reportedly used. “Cowardly entrepreneur ass” and “c*nt” are reportedly two terms mentioned for managers and supervisors.
Particularly surprising is the dismissal of an employee who only formulated one sentence in the affected Discord conversation. And it did not even cast the company in a bad light. Regarding the crunch times, he only wrote: “Nothing I heard in North QA! I’ll keep you updated if that changes.”
Even though the preliminary hearing does not yet involve the official trial, it was the first step for both sides to present their respective concerns and provide evidence. How the process will proceed and how the court will ultimately decide remains uncertain.
Despite the challenges surrounding the issue and delays with GTA 6, its release is still expected to be the “gaming event of the decade.” At least that’s what an expert says, who is confident that nothing would stand in the way of this outcome: Experts say: Even angry employees and delays can’t prevent GTA 6 from becoming the “gaming event of the decade”
