In a surprising twist to an ongoing legal dispute, confidential details about the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 have been made public. The information emerged during a court hearing related to Rockstar Games' dismissal of over 30 employees in November 2025.
The Legal Dispute and the Leaked Messages
The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has taken Rockstar to court, alleging union busting. The video game developer, however, contends it fired the employees for leaking sensitive information about GTA 6 on Discord. While little concrete information about the game has ever leaked, Rockstar was compelled to present internal employee messages as evidence in court.
According to a report from the YouTube channel People Make Games (PMG), these messages, shared by the studio's own legal team, contained discussions about the game's multiplayer component. During a conversation about staff organising time off, one since-dismissed employee wrote: ‘They mentioned the large session we did today ‘being difficult to do’ but that was 32 players, not sure how that was difficult.’
Another fired employee responded: ‘Sounds like you have multiple studios of QA testers, surely someone can manage to organise a 32 player session and let people have their time off.’ Rockstar's barrister reportedly described these messages as ‘top secret’ due to their relation to an unannounced feature and requested the judge read them privately.
What the Leak Reveals About GTA Online 2
While a sequel to the immensely profitable GTA Online has been widely expected, this is the first time Rockstar itself has inadvertently confirmed a specific technical detail. The messages indicate that GTA 6’s multiplayer will support lobbies of up to 32 players.
This represents only a marginal increase from the current GTA Online, which allows for 30 players plus two spectators on modern hardware. The original PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were limited to 16 players. It is important to note that this figure could change during the final stages of development before the game's anticipated release later in 2026.
Rockstar has maintained a strict stance on leaks. In a statement highlighted in the proceedings, the company said it was ‘gravely concerned to discover some of the Claimants had been sharing highly confidential and commercially sensitive information relating to the content and features of an unannounced online service.’ The studio emphasised that discussing planned player numbers – a ‘material feature’ – was a serious breach.
Broader Implications and the Union Battle
The case sheds light on Rockstar's aggressive internal policies. One employee was allegedly dismissed for a single Discord message stating: ‘Nothing that I’ve heard in North QA! Will keep you updated if that changes ofc.’ Rockstar's head of publishing, Jennifer Kolbe, argued that even this vague information about ‘working patterns’ could hint at the game's development stage to industry insiders and harm team collaboration.
The IWGB argues these actions constitute union busting, while Rockstar asserts it is merely protecting its intellectual property. The court will ultimately decide whether the dismissals were justified. Crucially, Rockstar did not apply for reporting restrictions on this evidence, allowing PMG to review and publish the details.
As the world awaits GTA 6, hoping for no further delays beyond the two it has already experienced, this legal battle has provided an unexpected, if minor, glimpse into the game's infrastructure. The revelation underscores the intense secrecy surrounding the project and the high stakes for both the developer and its employees.
