GTA 6 Delay Unrelated to Union Layoffs, Insider Claims Game Is "Content Complete"

Rockstar Games has officially delayed GTA 6 to November 19, 2026, but an insider insists the recent UK layoffs are not connected to the decision.

Kiwi Talkz: GTA 6 Delay Was Expected, Layoffs Had No Impact

Rockstar’s announcement yesterday confirmed what many of us feared: Grand Theft Auto VI won’t be arriving in May 2026 as planned. Instead, the studio is taking an extra six months to polish the game, aiming to avoid the kind of launch issues that plagued Cyberpunk 2077.

At the same time, controversy has been brewing around Rockstar’s UK offices. Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that dozens of staff were laid off amid unionization efforts. The union (IWGB) itself released a statement echoing that claim, but Rockstar later clarified that the firings were tied to "distributing and discussing confidential information in a public forum". The union dismissed this explanation and has since staged protests outside company offices. Naturally, speculation spread that the layoffs were linked to GTA 6’s delay.

That’s where Kiwi Talkz, a well‑known interviewer with insider access, stepped in. In a detailed post, he explained that the two events are unrelated. “There are 6000+ employees working at Rockstar, you aren’t delaying a game over 35 people getting laid off,” he wrote, adding that developers had already anticipated the delay due to optimization needs.

He also emphasized Rockstar’s "compartmentalized structure," where most staff only see the specific piece of the project they’re assigned to, both for scope and security reasons.

Kiwi Talkz went further, addressing rumors that GTA 6 could slip to 2027 or that the game is in a messy state. According to him, the title is already "content complete," and the remaining work is focused on optimization and system stability. “All the work from here on out is optimising the hell out of it and making sure all the systems work to prevent a Cyberpunk scenario,” he explained.

He also acknowledged reports of low morale at Rockstar’s Edinburgh office but clarified that this doesn’t reflect the entire company. Studios like Bangalore, he noted, operate "completely differently and have a different culture" to Edinburgh.