According to People Make Games, the dismissals are related to the studio's access to messages on a private Discord server, where employees have been discussing working conditions, the Slack corporate messenger, and the mood in the company since 2022. An informant noted that they "do not recall a single instance of data leaks about GTA VI or other projects."
The conflict began after changes to Slack. Rockstar shut down unofficial channels, calling them "distracting" and "a source of bad behavior." Some employees posted messages on Discord for colleagues to see. The company gained access to the server, identified the participants, and accused them of violations.
The dismissals affected experienced GTA 6 developers. The project has already been postponed twice, and the loss of specialists may affect the release schedule.