Rockstar Says Network Intrusion Leaked GTA VI: Rockstar announced Monday morning that it had been the victim of a “network intrusion” in which “secret material… including early development video for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto” was stolen. This seems to validate the legitimacy of the many Grand Theft Auto VI videos that surfaced over the weekend via file-sharing websites.
An announcement and reveal are coming soon. ”We will update everyone again soon & of course, will properly introduce you to this next game when it is ready”. – Rockstar Games September 19, 2022. #GTA6 pic.twitter.com/tPfj3atTek
— GTA 6 NEWS & LEAKS (@NEWSLEAKSGTAS) September 19, 2022
Rockstar Says Network Intrusion Leaked GTA VI
On Sunday morning, a link to the stolen footage appeared on the fan forum GTAForums, and from there, it quickly went viral throughout the web. There are dozens of videos totaling over 50 minutes of early gameplay, with many of them using placeholder textures and text or debug info. Some details of a Bloomberg article from July regarding the next Grand Theft Auto sequel have also been confirmed by the clip, such as the return to the Vice City setting and the inclusion of a Latina bank robber as one of two playable protagonists.
The hacker claimed they received the recordings using the company’s internal Slack and then made baseless allegations that they were also responsible for the recent huge Uber data breach, which also occurred through the company’s internal Slack. The hacker said they had copies of “GTA 5 and 6 source code” and a “GTA 6 testing build,” and that they were “trying to negotiate a deal” with Rockstar to prevent further leaks. In addition to giving hackers more opportunities to disrupt the games’ online features, the release of such code might be extremely detrimental to Rockstar.
No Way To Turn Off The Signal
After the breach was discovered on Sunday, Rockstar quickly issued DMCA takedown notices against many YouTube videos and tweets that had reposted clips from the leaked film. Leaked video links on GTAForums have been removed, however, the original post has been preserved. While “files or links to leaked copyrighted content” are not permitted, the forum does permit discussion of the leaks.
In spite of Rockstar’s best efforts, the video is still easily accessible on the web. Rockstar expressed their displeasure with the leak of information about their next game via Twitter on Monday. We are still as dedicated as ever to providing you, the players, with an experience that far surpasses your expectations, and development on the next Grand Theft Auto game will go as planned.
Late Sunday, Bloomberg published an article stating that “people familiar with the game’s production” confirmed the authenticity of the leaked footage, prompting Rockstar to confirm the data theft.
Rockstar’s parent company Take-Two informed investors of the hack on Monday morning through Twitter and a Form 8-K filed with the SEC as a “report of unscheduled substantial events or corporate event.” Early Monday trading saw Take-Two stock drop by about 1.7%, bringing the total loss since the price top in early 2021 to nearly 40%.
Subsequent Events
Rockstar is notoriously secretive about its future games, giving developers limited access to preview builds of its most anticipated and successful games. The corporation instead relies on flashy trailers and ecstatic fans to perform most of the advertising for them.
As a result of this weekend’s leaks, many GTA fans’ initial impression of the next game in the series will be rough and not really reflective of the quality of the final product, which is guaranteed to throw a wrench into the meticulously planned marketing strategy for GTA VI. On Monday morning, Rockstar tweeted, “We will inform everyone again soon and, of course, will properly introduce you to this upcoming game when it is ready.”
It’s not unheard of for information about new video games to be leaked prematurely, either through internal company error or by malicious hackers. However, the scope of this GTA VI leak is remarkable given the game’s early development stage and incomplete nature. Game writer and voice actress Alanah Pearce summed up the general reaction among game developers when she tweeted, “The cycle of showing us the game already!!!’ and then ‘ew it looks awful!!!’… just repeatedly kills off any hope I have of a future where game developers can be much more candid with audiences about how games are made.”
Late on Sunday, Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann tweeted, “To my fellow developers out there affected by the current leak, know that while it feels overwhelming right now, it’ll pass.” Druckmann was alluding to the May 2020 release of spoilers for The Last of Us Part II. “We’ll be playing your game and praising your work one day, while the leaks become a footnote in the history books. Maintain your forward momentum. Don’t stop creating works of art.”
According to a June Bloomberg article, development on GTA VI has “been slower than eager fans and even longstanding employees have expected” since the game’s announcement in 2014. Meanwhile, it is estimated that the microtransactions in GTA Online are raking in $2.5 million every day, contributing to the 165 million copies of Grand Theft Auto V that have been sold since 2013.