The GTA 6 leak has been confirmed as real, and it’s big. In fact, it might be the biggest security breach in gaming history. But as publisher Rockstar Games battles to remove stolen content, it says the delay will not delay the game, and people in the games industry have offered words of support.
Leaked GTA 6 content was posted on a forum on Sunday, and the hacker who posted it claims to have several assets from a game that Rockstar only revealed it was working on earlier this year and likely won’t be released until 2024 or 2025 (for games you can play today, see our pick of the best PS5 games).
As the first update to the Grand Theft Auto series since GTA 5 in 2013, GTA 6 is perhaps one of the most anticipated games to come. Rockstar Games hasn’t given any details, but a load of leaked content was posted to GTAForums (opens in a new tab) in the weekend.
The footage included animation tests, level layouts and around 90 videos of early footage from the game. Most notably, it appeared to confirm a rumor that GTA 6 will feature a playable female protagonist for the first time. It also seemed to reveal that the game will take place in Vice City, a fictionalized version of Miami that was the setting for the 2002 game GTA: Vice City.
Rockstar has since confirmed that the leak is real. In a statement regarding Twitter (opens in a new tab)it says: “An unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto.” It added: “We do not expect any disruption to our live gaming services or any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects.”
The original post has been removed, as have subsequent reposts of its content on platforms including YouTube and Twitter. GTA6 subreddit (opens in a new tab) was shut down for a while while moderators removed content, but it seems inevitable that videos will resurface elsewhere. As for the hacker, it seems that they, or people claiming to be them, have tried to profit from the leak, both in trying to negotiate with Rockstar and sell GTA 6 assets online (opens in a new tab).
#gta6 full conversation with hacker and contact to prove legit pic.twitter.com/E510S2UIxl18 September 2022
Meanwhile, the gaming sector has rallied around to support developers working on the game. Creative director and programmer Neil Druckmann, co-president of Naughty Dog was one of those who responded. He suffered a major leak even with The Last of Us. He wrote on Twitter: “To my fellow developers out there affected by the latest leak, know that even though it feels overwhelming right now, it will pass. One day we will play your game, appreciate your craftsmanship, and the leaks will be relegated to a footnote on a Wikipedia page. Keep pushing. Keep making art.”
To my fellow developers out there who are affected by the latest leak, know that even though it feels overwhelming right now, it will pass. One day we’ll play your game, appreciate your craftsmanship, and the leaks will be relegated to a footnote on a Wikipedia page. Keep pushing. Keep making art. ♥️18 September 2022
Game photographer Nik Baker said “A leak only adds to the hype. Knowing that a new game is actually being worked on is nothing but good news. Seeing a glimpse only encourages talk about it. Understandably Rockstar is probably pissed, but it pleases everyone!”
“NoM iZ Da Name wrote: “Hollywood movies get leaked months in advance and still knock. The companies need to stop crying and focus on making sure they deliver quality products.”
As for fans, no one seems to be saying that the leak makes any difference to their intentions to buy the game when it finally comes out. In fact, many say that the leaked content only confirms that the game looks like Grand Theft Auto. and that if anything it has made them more excited. “It’s a game leak. Not the death of a family member. Calm down now,” one person tweeted.
How did the GTA 6 leak happen?
A hacker who goes by the name teapotuberhackerhacker on GTAForums claims to have gained access to GTA 6 data by breaching Rockstar Games’ internal feed on the Slack messaging app. The hacker claims to be the same person who recently hacked Uber using the same method.
How serious is the GTA 6 leak?
The GTA 6 leak is big, with at least around 90 videos leaked and several key details given away about the upcoming game. However, the content displayed is believed to be an already old version of GTA 6, which is rumored to have started development way back in 2014. However, it’s a major frustration for a company that carefully stages its releases.
What is potentially more serious is that the hacker claims to have also obtained the source code from the game and has apparently offered it for sale online. Some fans have suggested that the release of GTA 6 may be pushed back as a result, noting that Valve delayed Half-Life 2 by more than a year after an early version was leaked. But Rockstar’s statement seems to have ruled that out.
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