Take-Two Confirms GTA VI Leak, Says Game Development Not Affected

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Take-Two Interactive Software Inc on Monday confirmed that a hacker had leaked early footage from Grand Theft Auto VI, the next installment of the best-selling video game.

Dozens of development videos for the game, showing footage of open-world heists, gunfights and driving, were posted on an online message board by the hacker in what could be one of the biggest gaming leaks ever.

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However, the company said it did not expect the incident to affect the game’s development, helping its shares par some of their losses from a 6 percent drop in premarket trading.

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“Current Rockstar Games services are not affected. We have already taken steps to isolate and contain this incident,” Take-Two said in a statement.

The hacking incident raised fears of delaying the release of the highly anticipated title, whose development was confirmed in February. Some analysts were also worried about a potential leak of the game’s source code.

“If the source code is leaked, it could require significant changes under the hood of the game to ensure its stability and the integrity of the GTA VI Online server once it launches,” said Jefferies analyst Andrew Werkwitz.

However, most brokerages said the early footage looked good, although it was not intended for distribution.

“The leaked footage simply confirms existing market rumors about the game’s development that have been circulating for years,” said Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey.

“We are progressively more confident that the game can be launched in FY25 and provide a significant catalyst for revenue and profit growth.”

According to BofA Global Research, GTA VI will generate $3.5 billion in bookings at launch and an annual average of $2 billion thereafter.

The hacker, who also claimed to be the man behind a cyber incident at Uber Technologies Inc last week, posted a message on the forum about trying to “work out a deal” with Take-Two.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu and Abhinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Anil D’Silva)