GTA VI Targeted in Weeks of Leaks While Take-Two Secures Court Subpoenas

Grand Theft Auto VI has experienced a series of gameplay leaks over multiple days, driven by an online entity operating under the handle CyberLeek. The leaked footage began with clips of co-protagonist Jason Duval driving on a highway and throwing a basketball into a hoop, followed by additional video clips released across the week. One leak featured footage ending with the character shooting bullet holes into a wall to spell out the word "LEEK." The leaked media was accompanied by text messages and solicitations to purchase a memecoin, alongside a manifesto demanding that video game companies implement offline modes for online games, avoid fake single-player DLC, and halt digital pre-orders prior to game release and independent reviews.

Take-Two publisher representatives and Rockstar Games have not commented on the leaks or the age of the footage, and the November 19 release date approaches without official gameplay having been shown by the companies. Meanwhile, Take-Two moved quickly to scrub evidence of the clips from the internet. On Thursday, a New York court granted Take-Two permission to issue subpoenas to Discord and Microsoft to uncover information concerning accounts believed to be associated with the security breach. Shortly before the docket update regarding the Microsoft request, Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet posted on X that Microsoft is working closely with Take-Two and Rockstar Games to support efforts to protect creative works and intellectual property.

Reactions to the manifesto and the breach have varied across the industry. The head of the Stop Killing Games movement publicly condemned the illegal method used to make a point, noting that the breach harms the thousands of developers who worked on the project. Despite the ongoing leaks, Rockstar is scheduled to premiere an official extended look of Grand Theft Auto VI on Netflix.