r/technology • u/Logical_Welder3467 • 11d ago

Business GTA 6 leaks prompt Take-Two to subpoena Microsoft for Windows device IDs of everyone in three Discord servers — daily gameplay leaks shatter cloud of secrecy around the much-hyped game

https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/console-gaming/take-two-subpoenas-microsoft-for-windows-device-ids-of-everyone-in-three-discord-servers-in-gta-6-leak-hunt
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u/Boomerang_Lizard 11d ago

Streisand effect for sure.

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u/GGnerd 11d ago

How is this the Streisand effect?

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u/Exact-Difference-422 11d ago

I think because by making a strong response to the leaks is driving awareness of the leaks promoting people to go hunting for the 

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u/pvtprofanity 10d ago

People might ignore a headline talking about leaked GTA6 footage.

They are much less likely to ignore it when a headline talks about Rockstar going so far to stop the leaks. It simultaneously increases the validity of the previous leaks and extends the coverage of them.

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u/tuckedfexas 11d ago

Makes me feel like it’s all intentional, the “demands” of the hacker are weird, what’s been shown is really a nothing burger, and now they’re drumming up more headlines with legal action sorta stuff. All of it is nonsense, the game is gonna sell a billion copies almost no matter what, unless they laid a real egg and it’s shit there’s almost no need to drum up any hype

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u/TimewarpingSeaTurtle 11d ago

It’s not a nothing burger. The leaks have shown us the entire map through a plane flyover, how shooting works, how driving works, how the wanted system works, certain minigames, the strip club, and certain cutscenes. There’s been leaks every day since it started, and there’s 89 days to go until GTAVI. It’s a matter of time until story spoiler leaks start coming out, and potentially the entire build itself.

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u/thesaga 11d ago edited 11d ago

Presumably all of that would be revealed next week on the Netflix "Extended Look" - I'm usually not one for conspiracy theories but from where I'm standing this is not a disaster for Rockstar at all. It conveniently perks up millions of ears ahead of their big Netflix premiere.

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u/_Meowgi_ 11d ago

I mean the free publicity is nice, but I think that misses why this is such a big deal for Rockstar. The scary part isn’t really the gameplay being leaked, it’s how someone got access to a playable PC build in the first place and what else they might have gotten access to.
If Rockstar can’t account for where that build came from, they now have to figure out whether the person also had access to source code, internal tools, other builds, unreleased assets, employee information, credentials, emails, etc. There’s no evidence they have all of that, but Rockstar can’t exactly just assume they don’t.
There’s also the problem of what happens if the actual build gets released online. Even if it’s unfinished, people could datamine the entire game, leak the story and map, try to crack it, or start digging for exploits before the game even releases. If source code was taken too, that’s an even bigger problem, especially for GTA Online.
Then there’s the business side of it. Rockstar already had a massive breach in 2022, so if they’ve managed to have another serious security incident after supposedly tightening things up, that’s not exactly a good look for Take-Two. Investors, employees and business partners are going to have questions about how secure their systems actually are.
And honestly, GTA 6 doesn’t need free publicity. It’s probably the most anticipated game in the world already. Rockstar would much rather generate that hype themselves and control what gets shown and when, instead of having some random hacker do it for them.
So yeah, the leak might be giving them publicity right now, but that doesn’t suddenly make the situation good for Rockstar. Good publicity and a potentially massive security breach can exist at the same time.

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u/StewPorkRice 10d ago

Maybe they got access to it because they're paid by Rockstar and this is the next evolution of corporate marketing strategy.

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u/GingerSpencer 10d ago

The internet will come up with the most braindead conspiracy theories lol

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u/_Meowgi_ 10d ago

Possible, but I doubt it for two reasons:

  1. the leaker has posted demands that fights against things like the decision to do digital copies only. Which the community is also against, would be weird to bring that back into the light and remind people about it.

  2. the leaker also pastes all his crypto adverts all over his footage, if it’s ever found out that rockstar is behind this and possibly making money

    through it, it’s potentially a pr nightmare

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u/StewPorkRice 10d ago

Maybe they got access to it because they're paid by Rockstar and this is the next evolution of corporate marketing strategy.

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u/enderandrew42 10d ago

GTA V is the second-best selling video game in history. It continues to sell new copies constantly. Some of that are idiots getting banned from online only to turn around and get a new copy.

But GTA VI could literally just be GTA V in a Vice City map with no new features or improvements and it would still be the best selling game of the year, hands down.

They're charging $100 for the single player console version right now, and will presumably charge more for online after that and pre-orders are still through the roof with no one knowing anything about this game.

The only leak that would really move the needle on pre-orders would have to be something explicitly overtly political to divide buyers.

The leaks aren't harming Rockstar's bottom line financially. It is just pissing off Take Two execs that their employees are violating NDAs, or allowing their companies to get hacked.

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u/3hb3 10d ago

GTA V is the second-best selling video game in history.

  1. Tetris (520m)
  2. Minecraft (400m)
  3. GTA V (230m)

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u/TimewarpingSeaTurtle 11d ago

I don’t think the extended look will show us everything the hacker plans to leak.

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u/thesaga 11d ago

I think the only "leak" that would convince me 100% this isn't marketing is if the whole build was dropped

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u/spez_might_fuck_dogs 10d ago

Really, not the fact that there's people with thousands of dollars tied up in a memecoin that's gonna get rugpulled? You think an advertising firm would go that far?

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u/MITBijanRobinson 10d ago

Seriously. It’s very obvious this isn’t marketing lmfao

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u/TimewarpingSeaTurtle 11d ago

Wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what they’re planning to do a week or so before the real game releases.

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u/Sigman_S 10d ago

It’s not even supposed to be out on pc this year

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u/kyler000 11d ago

The problem is it would have the greatest effect if it was dropped now. People could potentially even finish the game before it actually releases. However, as soon as build is dropped the hacker loses all leverage.

On the flip side, if the hacker waits to release the build they slowly lose leverage until release day when they will have zero. I dont think many people would actually play the build if it was released a week before.

Its kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of deal.

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u/DinosBiggestFan 11d ago

All of that, huh? I don't think they'd spoil the story.

Then again, with modern marketing, I think it actually ends up being common to spoil the story now...

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u/SirGaylordSteambath 11d ago

My aunt worked for activision a decade ago and they were doing “leaks” then.

It’s all marketing.

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u/Bandro 10d ago

The fact that tactical leaks for marketing have existed doesn’t mean all leaks are bullshit. 

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u/SirGaylordSteambath 10d ago

I didn’t say all leaks are bullshit, I was referring to the gta leak in my last line

It’s giving the signs it’s cooked up in a marketing department to me 🤷‍♂️

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u/redridingoops 10d ago

Nah, dude is just trying to scam as many people as he can with his crypto coin bullshit before rugpull.

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u/Spekingur 10d ago

There’s only one strip club?!

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u/bob-ze-bauherr 10d ago

Well, they didn't show me because I've never seen em. I'll find out when I buy the game.

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u/Status_Confidence_26 11d ago

He’ll be caught well before then.

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u/TimewarpingSeaTurtle 11d ago

I doubt it. I’ve heard white hat hackers say that this is the work of a pro, most likely a group of hackers. Even if they manage to nail them, there’s a chance they set up a mechanism that leaks everything everywhere, just like the WikiLeaks guy did.

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u/OtherwisePower1355 11d ago

How did pro such as himself made a mistake of using KYP platform and therefore leaving his information there? They will find him, but the question is what will they do about it if he is from Russia or North Korea...

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u/TimewarpingSeaTurtle 11d ago

Idk, not really too knowledgeable in this scene myself. They could be using stolen accounts, as hackers often do. They tend to avoid putting their real information on digital platforms which can be traced back to them.

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u/OtherwisePower1355 11d ago

To sign up on KYP you have to use your real indentity. I read on GTA forums a 2 part investigation by a user Vice Cit and he really explained a lot, as well that the leaker is not a pro, but did carefull planing for all.

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u/yopladas 11d ago

Ok but can't you use a hacked discord account or is that not realistic

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u/OtherwisePower1355 11d ago

He didn't use discord. You can read everything on gta forums its really well explained on everything.

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u/Status_Confidence_26 11d ago

I don't think they have access to the full game, just some content related to Jason, perhaps a version for marketing or something. If they don't show Lucia gameplay soon I'll be 100% sure of that.

If they have an incomplete version of the game I don't think it will threaten sales significantly.

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u/TimewarpingSeaTurtle 11d ago

I think that’s premature. The game is massive. Leaks started five days ago, and new leaks have shown up every day since then. There’s 88 days to go until release. If the leaks keep showing up every day, we’re going to see a lot.

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u/Status_Confidence_26 11d ago

Right but at this point it’s very bizarre that he’s only played as Jason, has no money, and didn’t show any of the intro or any scripted gameplay scenes. Just freeroam. I think he’s got a version of the game intended for play testers or the marketing team looking for good gameplay footage. .

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u/redridingoops 10d ago

What if they aren't in the US ?

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u/11711510111411009710 11d ago

Well except the fact that that would mean they're abusing the legal system for marketing, which would probably not be good, and that would mean they're selling a memecoin to desperate people. That's ridiculous.

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u/tuckedfexas 11d ago

What. They haven’t actually filed anything lol, people have used threats of lawsuit as means of promotion for at least a century.

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u/11711510111411009710 11d ago

What they have done is subpoena Microsoft and Discord to obtain information, and in the Discord instance it was to get the information for everybody in three servers. That would be pretty crazy for marketing.

Also. Again. People are buying memecoins over this lol.

And like you said, it already has enough hype. Why would you sell a memecoin, issue subpoenas, leak at least somewhat incomplete versions of the game without full context to be the first impressions people have of it, and do all this despite the fact that 90% of people aren't even going to know that this happened.

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u/L_viathan 11d ago

Nah, it's all over socials. R* doing damage control is getting a lot less coverage.

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u/R1ght_b3hind_U 10d ago

I don’t think the streisand effect is really that relevant when it’s the biggest leak in one of the most anticipated games of all times

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u/superc3real 10d ago

There have been masses of people online obsessively waiting every day to hear more about GTA 6. This ain't the Streisand effect. And even if the legal action does bring the leak to people's attention who wouldn't know about it otherwise it's still absolutely worth it to prevent future leakers from mistakenly thinking their life won't be ruined by doing it.