Rockstar calls a 32-player online format for GTA VI a guarded secret

Court filings from Rockstar Games mention a 32-player online format for Grand Theft Auto VI. The studio calls it one of its most closely guarded secrets. The papers come from the tribunal over 31 dismissed developers. Rockstar itself has never announced an online mode.

The wording appeared in documents from the employment tribunal that opened on 10 September, Dexerto reports. Screenshots of the filings were shared the same day. Rockstar describes discussion of an online 32 player format as confidential company information.

What Rockstar compares it to

In the filings the studio sets its own secrecy beside that of other companies. It compares protecting features of the game to Apple protecting the iPhone and Coca-Cola protecting its formula, Dexerto writes. The comparison is Rockstar’s own, in its defence against the dismissed staff.

That defence is the reason the number is public at all. Rockstar says the 31 employees shared confidential information about GTA VI on Discord, and the filings set out what the studio counts as confidential. Their union says they were dismissed for union activity.

What the number does not confirm

The documents do not say that GTA VI will launch with 32-player lobbies. They show that a 32-player format was discussed and was highly confidential at the time, GTA BOOM writes. Whether that number survives to release is not known.

Similar details already surfaced in earlier court documents in January, according to the same site. Rockstar has not spoken about an online mode outside the tribunal. What it will be called, what it will cost and when it appears are all unknown.

Grand Theft Auto VI arrives on 19 November for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. The hearing runs until 16 October.