Following hours of GTA 6 leaks being online, It’s easy to speculate that Rockstar now is put to unrest. Hundreds of developers around the world working for Rockstar are left overwhelmed after their test build of GTA 6 quickly circulated its way into being viral across the entire Internet. From what is observable, it is easy to say that Rockstar is getting blackmailed by the hacker.
The developers are allegedly waiting for a response Monday morning from the leadership of Rockstar Games. Until then, multiple things are to be covered. While the developers are waiting, the hacker officially stated on the GTAForums thread that he is looking to “negotiate a deal.”
Additionally, a huge part of what he claims to possess is the source codes of GTA 5 and 6. Paired with assets from both games. From a leaked conversation on Telegram, he replies to an alleged Rockstar employee contesting how much leverage he actually has over Rockstar notifying them to “tell their IT department to check their logs.”
He later clarified that he no longer wants to sell GTA 6’s source code. If we suppose good intentions may be due to the consequential delays that will follow. If we suppose bad intentions, this doesn’t mean that his word holds him from selling the code due to a poor bargain from Rockstar. But the GTA 5 source code is still susceptible to being sold.
Take-Two Takes Down the GTA 6 Footage
Take-Two Interactive started issuing DMCA Takedowns to the Antvrus channel responsible for uploading the test build footage. It is not a matter of doubt that Take-Two would try to mitigate the damages done by the leak. But the fundamental question is, would Take-Two be able to control the entire Internet sharing videos and photos of GTA 6? A game that the internet has been thirsty over for nine years now.
The craze around the leaks was foreseen, although the hacker claims that the footage went “unexpectedly viral.” And since Rockstar is currently being blackmailed, it is obvious that the deed behind the doing was not to unveil GTA 6 footage.
Meanwhile, Neil Druckmann, Co-president of Naughty Dog, commented on the GTA 6 leaks by stating that The Last of Us: Part II suffered multiple pre-release leaks. He also remarks on the overwhelming conditions the developers had to suffer from the leaks.
Rockstar’s Response to the Leaks
What’s worth thinking about right now is what is Rockstar’s plan to manage the mess? Years of development and effort have been leaked today, so this is, in fact, huge. Take-Two issuing DMCA takedowns will make the matter more popular than it ever was since this is them acknowledging that the footage is authentic.
Do they cast an official statement regarding the leaks? Or do they release the trailer earlier than the schedule to attenuate the damages? The reality is no one really knows what will happen. While the community is curious to see Rockstar break its silence, the developers are under constant stress about the future of their project.
And if I had to guess, the developers are worried about how the community might respond. After all, what we saw today wasn’t supposed to be seen; since it was a test build. It’s been reported that multiple Rockstar employees are being harassed because of the leaks.
If you’re still unsure about the authenticity of the leaks, Jason Schrier, a reporter at Bloomberg, tweeted earlier that by the looks of the footage, they seem pretty accurate. They even exactly match what he reported earlier this year about GTA 6.
UPDATES: It seems like the GTA 5’s source code was already sold for 5 bitcoins (about $100k). This day marks the attempted murder of GTA 5 and GTA: Online.
Conclusion
Ultimately, this isn’t a usual day-to-day leak. In fact, this leak is the most significant leak Rockstar Games has undergone since its inception. You can go as far as dubbing it one of the most immense leaks in the industry ever. Rockstar Games, a company that has a market cap of over $20 Billion, is being blackmailed and extorted in exchange for the source code of GTA 5. Putting the sense of entitlement aside, this is more of a disaster than it is good news for the industry.
What do you think will happen? Share your speculations on Rockstar’s next move in the comments section below.
