Grand Theft Auto VI Leak comes as a shock to video game studio Rockstar
(Bloomberg) – A hacker released authentic preview footage from the development of Grand Theft Auto VI, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s most anticipated video game.
The video cache offers a comprehensive and unauthorized look into the making of one of the biggest games in the industry. A leak of this magnitude is so rare that some people have expressed doubts about its authenticity, but people familiar with the game’s development said the videos are genuine. The footage offers an early and unpolished look at plans for Grand Theft Auto VI, though the final version will look a lot more refined, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details are private.
The hacker posted dozens of never-before-seen videos of Grand Theft Auto VI on an online forum over the weekend. On the forum, the person claimed it was the same hacker who infiltrated Uber Technologies Inc. in a high-profile incident last week. The claim is unconfirmed. In a follow-up message to the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game, the hacker stated “I want to negotiate a deal” and raised the prospect of releasing more internal information about the project.
A spokesman for Take-Two did not respond to a request for comment outside of regular business hours.
The last Grand Theft Auto came out in 2013 and became the most valuable entertainment product, building on the enduring popularity of its companion online game. The upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI has been in some form of development since 2014, Bloomberg has reported. It will feature a playable female protagonist for the first time in the series and will primarily be set in a fictionalized version of Miami, Bloomberg reported. Take-Two first confirmed the game’s existence in February, a revelation that quickly sent the stock up 7%.
Employees at Rockstar Games, the Take Two studio that makes Grand Theft Auto, were stunned by the leak, people familiar with the project said. Many struggled with the impact of the event and how management would respond.
In July, video game maker Roblox Corp. a hacker to have released stolen information to blackmail the company. Neil Druckmann, co-president of Sony Group Corp.’s Naughty Dog, who was covering pre-release information on his game The Last of Us II, posted a message on Twitter on Sunday trying to “convince my fellow developers out there who are being made by the latest developments are concerned, to calm the leak.”
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