Rockstar Games denies spying on union members at tribunal

Rockstar Games has denied claims that it spied on trade union members and unfairly dismissed staff. Over 30 employees were dismissed from the company in October last year for allegedly sharing confidential company information. Twenty-three of these former employees are now pursuing an unfair dismissal claim at an employment tribunal, represented by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB).

The company maintains that the dismissals were for gross misconduct and breaches of confidentiality, not for trade union membership or activity. Rockstar Games stated it will defend the claims vigorously.

HR Executive Denies Monitoring Union Membership

Robert Spampinato, the global head of human resources at Rockstar Games, testified at the tribunal that it was “categorically not true” to suggest he asked staff to monitor union membership. Lawyers for the claimants had put it to him that he and another HR executive had attempted to monitor IWGB membership. This was based on screenshots of an IWGB meeting attended by Rockstar employees, which had been provided to the other HR executive by an employee referred to as “AB”.

Mr Spampinato stated he was not aware the information had been solicited and that there was no compiling of trade union information. He explained that the company has a supportive HR and management team and that its approach is to deal with employees fairly and empathetically.

Timing of Dismissals Linked to GTA VI Development

The tribunal heard that 722 posts across 109 Discord threads were cited in the accusations of gross misconduct against the dismissed employees. These had been passed to senior HR staff by “AB” and other unnamed employees between March 2024 and October 2025. Mr Spampinato explained that the dismissals occurred in October 2025 because the company was in “crisis mode” and needed the team to be “fully focused” due to delays in the development of Grand Theft Auto VI. He stated that it was only in October 2025 that they learned the identities of everyone in the Discord server, including a journalist and former employees.

A spokesperson for Rockstar Games reiterated that individuals were dismissed for gross misconduct following the sharing of confidential company information. The IWGB union has questioned the existence and nature of the alleged leaks cited by Rockstar, noting that comments pointed to by the company did not identify Grand Theft Auto VI until Rockstar itself connected them during legal proceedings.

The tribunal continues before judge Lucy Wiseman.