GTA 6 leaks explained: Hacker allegedly chasing “deal” with Rockstar

Following the massive leaks surrounding GTA 6, the party behind the leak is apparently looking to negotiate with Rockstar Games.

For those who may have missed it, GTA 6 was recently the subject of major leaks, which potentially revealed upcoming characters, vehicles, and one major returning location.

Though holding company Take-Two Interactive has started to DMCA existing footage, much of it has already been spread around thanks to the initial leaker.

Now, that same leaker is looking to contact developer Rockstar Games themselves and is apparently interested in “negotiating a deal” with them.

Over 90 gameplay videos leak online

The situation began after a user by the name teapotuberhacker posted a ZIP file on GTAForums.com which contained over 90 videos showing preview build gameplay of GTA 6.

“Hi, here are 90 footage/clips from GTA 6. Its [sic] possible I could leak more data soon, GTA 5 and 6 source code and assets, GTA 6 testing build,” before leaving contact info at the end of the post.

While still officially unconfirmed by either Rockstar or Take-Two itself, the gameplay videos do seem to corroborate other leaks, such as the inclusion of a female protagonist among other things.

GTA 6 hacker shares more info to verify leaks

Many members of the GTA 6 forum remained skeptical of the leak, which led the hacker to post more and more information to verify the leak was authentic.

Notably, the hacker shared various screenshots of source code from GTA 5 and GTA 6.

Finally, the hacker posted more photos and videos of allegedly in-development footage, which included unfinished textures and models.

While brief, these videos show scenarios like the male and female protagonists robbing a diner, the main character interacting with NPCs, and exploring the inside of a strip club.

GTA 6 hacker looking to contact Rockstar

After the leak gained traction online, Take-Two Interactive began to issue DMCA takedowns to the leaked footage.

Additionally, teapotuberhacker updated their original forum post to include this: “Ok so this has gone unexpectedly viral, woke up to 3000 Telegram DM’s. If you are a [sic] employee of Rockstar or Take2 and your [sic] trying to contact me… I will try to read all these reply soon – i am looking to negotiate a deal.”

According to Freelance Writer Tom Henderson on Twitter, someone pretending to be a Rockstar or Take-Two employee contacted the hacker.

During their conversation, the hacker once again affirmed that they “have the GTA 5 and GTA 6” source code and assets and that they were looking for an offer to prevent further leaks.

When asked for proof, the hacker told the impersonator to have “your IT team check the d*mn logs.”

Finally, another conversation alleged the hacker will sell the GTA 5 source code and assets and won’t take any offer under 5 figures. Additionally, they’ve said that the source code got GTA 6 is “not for sale at this moment.”

Now, it seems Apparently, interested parties have begun engaging in fraudulent blockchain transactions in the hopes of obtaining GTA 5’s source code.

According to both Tom Henderson and videotech_ on Twitter, someone attempting to buy the source code “lost $100K due to impostering the hacker’s name.”

At the time of writing, it seems no one has made an official deal with the hacker to obtain the source code just yet, despite multiple parties putting forth offers.

GTA 6 leaker claims to have Bully 2 information

Alongside the GTA 6 leaks, the same hacker known only as Tea Pot claims to have material from Bully 2’s development too. YouTuber LegacyKillaHD shared a Twitter conversation that is circulating on social media, with the leaker alleging they have “Bully 2 development plans for sale.”

RUMOR: There is an image circulating around of a conversation someone had with the GTA 6 hacker, in which he claims to be selling development documents & footage of the cancelled Bully 2.

This is unverified right now. pic.twitter.com/6zmbtVRkvw

— Michael (@LegacyKillaHD) September 18, 2022

Industry members respond to the leaks

Following this massive leak, members of the video game industry have spoken out about the situation.

Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckman took to Twitter to offer his support for the developers affected by the leak.

To my fellow devs out there affected by the latest leak, know that while it feels overwhelming right now, it’ll pass. One day we’ll be playing your game, appreciating your craft, and the leaks will be relegated to a footnote on a Wikipedia page. Keep pushing. Keep making art. ♥️

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) September 18, 2022

“To my fellow devs out there affected by the latest leak, know that while it feels overwhelming right now, it’ll pass.”

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier tweeted out that he has “confirmed with Rockstar sources that this weekend’s massive Grand Theft Auto VI leak is indeed real.”

“The footage is early and unfinished, of course. This is one of the biggest leaks in video game history and a nightmare for Rockstar Games.”

As this is still a developing situation this piece will be updated as more information surrounding this major Rockstar Games leak surfaces.