Leaked Court Documents Reveal Rockstar Games' Ridiculous Requests For Staff

At the heart of the Rockstar vs. Union dispute are 34 employees who were fired for alleged gross misconduct.

Rockstar has maintained that the dismissals were necessary to protect sensitive information, while the former workers and their union argue the actions amount to union busting. The newly revealed material adds further detail to that clash, particularly regarding how management interpreted internal communications.

The case has drawn widespread attention within the games industry, where concerns about crunch, surveillance, and labour rights have intensified in recent years.

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With the tribunal now having ruled on interim relief, the spotlight has shifted to what the leaked evidence says about Rockstar's workplace culture and what comes next in the legal process.

Strict Internal Rules Under Scrutiny

People Make Games is at the forefront of updates on the current hearing. Among the most controversial revelations is an internal policy limiting the number of employees allowed to take time off at the same time.

Messages included in the court bundle show workers discussing being told that no more than 13 staff could be absent at once in a department of more than 50 people.

One later message went further, stating: 'Until the end of this year, they want no more than five people off at a time, apparently.' Other staff questioned how such restrictions could be justified across large teams and multiple studios, particularly during busy testing periods.

Rockstar cited these messages as evidence that employees had shared confidential information about production processes. In submissions to the tribunal, the company argued that even seemingly minor details, such as staff availability or the size of internal testing sessions, could reveal information about an unannounced online service.

Critics, however, have questioned how complaints about holidays and workload could reasonably be considered commercially sensitive. Union representatives said the messages reflected routine workplace frustrations rather than deliberate attempts to leak secrets.

Discord Messages And Dismissals

The tribunal also heard how Rockstar built its case using messages from a private Discord server used by union members. In several instances, the company relied on a small number of posts to justify immediate dismissal without prior disciplinary hearings.

One former employee was fired after sending a single 15-word message saying there was no crunch in their department and that they would update colleagues if the situation changed. Rockstar argued that comments about working patterns could indicate the stage of development of a major title, and therefore breached contractual obligations.

In its defence, the company said it was concerned that former employees and non-staff members had access to the Discord server, increasing the risk of confidential information spreading beyond the studio. The union disputed this, stating that access was controlled and that many discussions were clearly related to organising and worker welfare.

Legal Update And Next Steps

Last week, the tribunal rejected the employees' request for interim relief, meaning Rockstar will not be required to reinstate or pay the dismissed workers while the case continues. The judge ruled that it was not yet persuaded that the employees were likely to succeed in proving they were dismissed for union activity.

While this represents an early win for Rockstar, it does not conclude the case. A full hearing will take place at a later date to determine whether the dismissals were lawful under UK employment law.

For now, the hearing has intensified debate about how major game studios monitor staff communication and respond to unionisation efforts. As the case progresses, it is expected to set an important precedent for labour relations in the UK games industry.