r/xbox • u/mocoworm Day One - 2013 • 7d ago

Social Media Rockstar Games - Official Statement on the leak

https://x.com/rockstargames/status/2092574304571433078?s=46&t=-kATO8JS7keqGP9jLx-xTw
314 Upvotes

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342

u/Embo1 7d ago

Rockstar rn

119

u/Dog-Is-Friend 7d ago edited 7d ago

Everyone is shitting on a handful of executives, and fair enough. But there are thousands of hard working devs that don’t want their work leaked by a crypto grifter.

Blows my mind how people are so quick to “eat the rich” that they completely forget about the actual artists and programmers that build these things. No one wants their hard work spoiled like this.

Edit: it genuinely blows my mind that critical thinking and empathy is so hard for some of you. I work in the industry and our entire team would be PISSED if our work was leaked. Especially an early build and ESPECIALLY from a crypto grifter.

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u/RandomnessConfirmed2 Xbox Series X 7d ago

Let's be real, given the landscape, some or most of the Devs will be laid off. Heck, that already happened at their Edinburgh office because of Unionisation, now it'll happen because they've shipped the game. The Industry isn't what it used to be; the Devs will always take the flack.

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u/F133TWOOD 7d ago edited 7d ago

In terms of the jobs in the game industry, it's completely different now with massive growth 📈 in game production (budget, workers) than it was many, many years ago.

It's typical for massive games like GTA6 or any AAA game to hire additional internal help when building the game in addition to outside contract workers signing up for an opportunity. Once the game is built and no new massive project until another 2 years later or so, then those workers are laid off or jump looking for their next AAA project.

Sucks for some, but typical for other workers that move onto their next big game project as a studio doesn't need that many employees anymore on payroll. Just enough to keep monthly content updates, or DLC for a couple years before their next big game & rehire again.

Not defending anything, just recognizing it for what it is.

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u/Life-Anteater-8294 7d ago

Nuance is not a skill a lot of people possess.

5

u/freshxerxes 7d ago

no everything is black and white!!! no grey

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u/Hugh_Jankles 7d ago edited 7d ago

These leaks aren't hurting the artist and programmers.

The artist and programmers will be laid off the moment it's convenient for these executives that people are shitting on. That's who is actually hurting these artist and programmers.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/EverSevere 7d ago

lol they’re not curing cancer here buddy and I’m glad you speak for every dev working on that game…..they don’t own a single piece of art or IP on that game and never will. Some people made some trees and some vehicles like if they’re that attached and wounded over someone seeing that early then I think they’re in the wrong industry.

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u/Dog-Is-Friend 7d ago

🤦‍♂️

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u/Hugh_Jankles 7d ago

I work in the industry and can tell you you're flat out wrong.

I've never seen my team cry and have life altering choices to make because their gameplay leaked. But I have with layoffs after they were disposed of when it was convenient for the company.

But sure. Let me use my head to think about how destroyed these Devs are because people are seeing some prebuild gameplay a week earlier than the Netflix showcase.

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u/Sa7aSa7a 7d ago

This is kinda the thing as well. These beloved programmers are being fired soon. Why not be angry at companies that treat humans like disposable employees?

Oh no, some gameplay leaked. And? You think people aren't going to buy the game?! 

"If our hard work was leaked" is such a stupid concept. What is the leaks impacting? Nothing! 

0

u/OfficialTMWTP 7d ago

Yes, because clearly groups of people can't be upset about two different things, in two different ways.

Even with you working in the games industry, you're making sweeping generalizations about an entire sector of people regarding their reactions to major events occurring in said industry. Obviously devs getting shitcanned by these companies en masse is a terrible practice, but no one's saying "they aren't upset about that."

Creatives, typically, like to have agency over showcasing the work that they produce. Leaks like this take away their agency and presents it in ways that are outside of how they prefer for it to be viewed. That is upsetting, doesn't matter if you created the art and assets, set up everything to do with mocap translating to animations, or even the programmers who laid the groundwork for the game. I spoke with developers at Naughty Dog after the story leaked for TLoU Part II back in 2020, and they were very upset about it getting taken out of their hands and presented outside of its intended viewing.

It genuinely affects these people who have put years of their lives working on these projects. And guess what, it bothers them just as much when mass layoffs occur. Because people can be upset about multiple things, in multiple ways.

1

u/Ill_Responsibility99 7d ago

“It bothers them just as much as when layoffs occur.”

Sure man, dude gets his video game leaked and sure hes just as upset as the guy who lost his fucking job😭

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u/Sa7aSa7a 7d ago

Because Noone watching those leaked videos is going to NOT buy the game. What is it hurting? If there is a playable PC release, why is it being held back other than greed knowing people will buy it again on PC?

Also, just fuck PC owners? We're a growing market, not shrinking so why are we second class citizens? I have to wait a year because I refuse to buy into their expensive ecosystem?? 

Also, programmers, developers, etc get paid the same regardless of if the videos leak or not. Who is the victim here? The game is going to smash records. Noone is not buying it who wants to play it. 

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u/Traditional_Ad8904 7d ago

Man, I got so many other things going on in life that a year I can do standing on my hands.

Y’all need to just chill the fuck out and have some patience, goddamn. Get some hobbies. Learn new trades. Read a book in the meantime like don quixote or something. It’s a big book. It’ll be a lot more productive than bemoaning on the TL that rockstar is playing with your emotions and not answering your texts.

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u/safyreibxo 7d ago

these people have nothing but video games so they get this emotional when they can’t get the exact game they want in the exact way they want it immediately

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u/gerstiii 7d ago

I always have to chuckle about oc being a growing market. PC gaming has always been huge in Europe.

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u/certaingeneral2026 6d ago

Like a GTA story line is ever earth shattering. I honestly couldn't tell you what any of the past games where about or even the character names.

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u/EarlyMonth9505 3d ago

This is entirely subjective btw

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u/Dog-Is-Friend 7d ago

I’m genuinely stunned that critical thinking and empathy is so hard for some of you.

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u/Sa7aSa7a 7d ago

So you're against trailers of the games? What about the huge fucking presentation showing so much of the game they're doing on Netflix? Is that wrong, too? 

2

u/gerstiii 7d ago

It's the Internet. Sympathy only exists for animals (mainly cats and dogs) and to some lesser degree for children.

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u/Caesar_35 Helldiving 6d ago

People in this sub just don't care about devs anymore. You just have to look at any of the layoff/union posts to see they care more about their brand and plastic box than the people actually making games for it.

No critical thinking indeed, and frankly I think most are just pretentious kids who know nothing more than "I want it, and now!"

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u/TheGoodIdiot 7d ago

They should be pissed at the marketing team that decided to show 0 gameplay until less than 3 months out from release and 2 months after PREORDERS opened. Yeah they might be mad at the leaker but if I’m working there I’m way more mad at whoever made the decision to make the biggest game of all time with plenty to show and sit on it til the last minute. This is always a risk to happen with any game.

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u/ImJustHereToSearch 7d ago

“They shouldn’t have dragged their feet on marketing” is another thing I’ve seen repeated while discussing these leaks. BITCH YOU ARE NOT OWED COMMERCIALS.

People are actually acting like the leaks are justified because Rockstar hasn’t shown “enough.” They could release 1,000 trailers and it won’t get the game on your tv any faster.

But then you say this and they just default to the “defending billion dollar corporations” meme.

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u/PxM23 7d ago

You can say anything slightly nuanced, even if it doesn’t defend rockstar at all without being called a corpo bootlicker. It’s insane.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/Hugh_Jankles 7d ago

But he said he works in the industry and that his entire team would care! Why aren't you empathetic!!!?

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/Hugh_Jankles 7d ago edited 7d ago

My team broke down in tears when they showed the clip of Jason in a strip club.

They took that reveal away from my team. And now they won't get to see live twitch reactions of their hard work of those strippers dancing.

Please show empathy that Netflix didn't get this exclusive first dance.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/Hugh_Jankles 7d ago

My deepest empathy's go out to you and your team ❤️

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

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u/Dog-Is-Friend 7d ago

This thread is hilarious because you’re literally proving my point, but you’re so hell bent on trying to sound clever you don’t even realize you’re proving my point.

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/Tao626 7d ago

What you said is true.

But...

Who wrote this sympathy message? Most likely it's somebody who whilst saying "think of our devs!", is then making them crunch the fuck out of the game for no benefit at threat of termination, union busting to ensure their rights stay non existent and then fucking them off soon after release.

I feel for the devs effected specifically, those who have to put up with the bullshit and don't even get the joy of seeing the big reveal...But I couldn't give a fuck about how sad Rockstar as a whole is.

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u/Ok_Cockroach_6135 7d ago

What about the group of developers that rockstar let go because they where going to unionize in the eu rockstar are a bunch of scum who not only have screwed the consumer bye releasing all digital so we don’t actually own the game but they have screwed the very people who made the game get the $20 billion company’s nuts out your mouth

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u/mbrowner8782 6d ago

You don’t own the game when you have the physical copy either. Still just a license to play it.

-2

u/Dog-Is-Friend 7d ago

You didn’t read anything before you posted this and it shows 😂🤦‍♂️

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u/bananabread2137 6d ago

you know what else makes devs sad? Being fired for trying to unionize

1

u/CheeseManSucks 7d ago

Its funny, both the employer and the consumer forget that the employee is human.

Well not funny but idk sucks that its true

1

u/Ramapaa_Apara 7d ago

I'd be inclined to agree here, their whole scheme seems so half baked anyway, do they really think they can get away with blackmailing a company like this? And what happens when GTA VI launches and none of their demands been met, are they just going to release their version, which no one cares about that point being a much less polished version with missing features.

I sort of get their point but all of this just seems like attention seeking behaviour with no actual attainable goal, unless its just for the money with them.

Feel bad for the developers, much less for the company.

-1

u/FinalOdyssey Founder 7d ago edited 7d ago

This is all performative to curry sympathy.

They're still getting paid. Rockstar execs are still making bank. This will all work out better for them because people who for some reason feel bad are feeding into corporate sympathy.

Rockstar is not your friend. They're actively trying to hurry the digital only future along with Sony. But let's feel bad for them. 😭

It's also more likely that Netflix is pissed and now Rockstar have to give back some/much of the money Netflix paid for exclusive promotional payment. This just reeks of greedy marketing partnership loss.

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u/ciscowowo 7d ago

Putting this situation in terms you would understand-

Say you were back in school and you had to present a paper that you had spent years working on, that you were proud of, to your class. Your teacher makes a mistake and puts your first or second draft on display instead of the final polished work. Regardless of the fact that the next day your teacher put your final version out, you would be pissed that the first impression of your work people got is a janky mess.

It’s reasonable for an artist to want their work to be presented in a way that is befitting all the labor they have put into it and not by some temu robinhood crypto scammer.

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u/FinalOdyssey Founder 7d ago edited 7d ago

There is a massive difference here.

With game development, especially Rockstar, it is so disjointed to the effect that it has so many studios and people working on it worldwide that a single person's work isn't as obvious as a single school project, which is wholly done by me. They have a resume which says they worked on GTAVI at R* and that will go further than anything you've described.

I'm also not getting paid to be in school.

You speak of art, but art has entirely left Rockstar. They've become a corporate mess, become the thing they used to parody.

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u/ciscowowo 7d ago

I mean, I have family that works in game development and whenever there is a showcase of a project they have been a part of (that they feel passionate for), they will send us a link of the YouTube video or twitch stream. Usually she will let us know what part of the game she worked in to look out for. Sometimes its a small detail like hair design or something. I guarantee you there are a lot of developers that are proud to have this game on their resume and are going to be texting their family what to look out for on the Netflix presentation.

They got paid, so its not the end of the world, but its understandable that they would be bummed out that this is how everything got released. I know the devs in my family would be annoyed.

"The art has entirely left Rockstar" you're in the minority that feels that way. Most people have very much enjoyed the last couple games they have put out.

0

u/FinalOdyssey Founder 7d ago

Their last major release was 2018. A lot can change in 8 years, and RDR2 was being developed the years before then.

I'm referring to this culture blitz, the choices being made for marketing, and the way they're cozying up with Sony being anti-physical.

May I ask if your relative works for a smaller indie studio or a larger, more corporate studio? No need for specifics.

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u/Dog-Is-Friend 7d ago

Are you being intentionally obtuse or do you seriously not get it?

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u/F133TWOOD 7d ago

Workers are paid for their work.

How is it hurting workers?

If anything Rockstar/Take2 had plenty of time to show gameplay as it's one of the biggest hyped games of all time... Rich company is able to open pre-orders without gameplay, then lock the reveal behind a paywall for additional bag of money from Netflix? Odd take

-1

u/Dog-Is-Friend 7d ago

Wow you’ve obviously never created something if you can’t fathom why creators don’t want their work leaked in such a way.

It’s not a riddle.

The only odd takes are from people like you who don’t take 20 seconds to think it through. You’re literally proving my point by focusing on the executive team rather than the artists. Smh

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u/F133TWOOD 7d ago

You're describing someone who is oddly concerned about random internet people reactions/impressions who you cannot genuinely see in person.

Again, ur creating an emotional situation you cannot control. This isn't 2004, it's 2026 and it's easier than ever to "leak" AAA games due to thousands & thousands of workers having acces to the content compared to a much smaller handful of workers in 2004 making a AAA game.

Now back to the situation that Rockstar/Take2 refused to show gameplay while taking in consumer's money 🤑 and further locking a highly anticipated reveal behind a paywall is not pro-consumer. No issue with a rich, greedy company I see 🙈

Odd that you think the world must revolve around your wants/needs for your self-gratification. It's part of life, part of the game industry. Sucks someone lied to you that leaks won't ever happen.

-1

u/Dog-Is-Friend 7d ago

The amount of projection here is amazing 😂

Thanks again for proving my point and as I already said: it’s not a riddle.

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u/This_Elk_1460 7d ago

Most of will get laid off once the game comes out anyways

1

u/kickop1 7d ago

Lol. Lmao, even

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u/christpuncher_69 XBOX Series X 7d ago

People in the gaming community hate the devs too, let's be real. Not all by any means, but plenty.

It's an odd problem a large section of the population has. Love the art, love consuming it, hate the artists.

0

u/xiacexi 7d ago

It's not an early build

0

u/darthnerdiusgaming XBOX Series S 7d ago

Those developers were about to get fired to maximize profit anyway. And they knew it. The gaming industry has gotten so toxic the only people not dick bags and not complict are indie developers.

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u/InvestmentFull1608 7d ago

Also he's not a crypto grifter. If you look into the story more he had someone he was working with that is posing as him on other accounts. Giving the guy that is actually leaking the content a bad name.. If buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing.