GTA 6 Leak Affected Development Team Emotionally: Report

The eighth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is arguably the most highly anticipated in gaming history. It’s been almost a decade since Grand Theft Auto V was first released on consoles, now two generations old. Rockstar Games has already confirmed that they’re hard at work on GTA 6, but there’s no word on a release date. Last year, eagerly awaiting fans got an unauthorized peek at the upcoming game when a leak revealed footage in development of the next GTA. The leak, which contained gameplay, characters, and the open world of GTA 6, sparked concerns about the impact it could have on the game’s publishers. Just around the time for its latest earnings report, which fell slightly short of its target, Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, said the leak did not harm its business.

Speaking to IGN, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, said the leak was an “emotional matter” and not a business one. “We take leaks very seriously and they disappoint us all. It’s really frustrating and upsetting for the team,” said Zelnick. “However, as a business matter, we are not affected. But as a personal matter and emotional matter, our teams are affected.”

Last year in September, Rockstar Games suffered a huge leak, revealing gameplay footage of GTA 6 in development. The leak, which surfaced on a popular GTA forum, consisted of more than 90 videos featuring two playable characters, Lucia and Jason, all but confirming that the next Grand Theft Auto will feature a female protagonist.

Videos of the leak went viral on multiple social media platforms as Take-Two Interactive began filing copyright claims to remove the footage. At the time, Rockstar issued a statement saying they were “extremely disappointed” that details of their next game were being shared that way.

Earlier last year, after years of speculation, Rockstar Games finally revealed that they are working on the next part of GTA. “We are pleased to confirm that active development for the next installment in the series is underway,” the studio said in an online post last February.

Years after its release, GTA 5 remains as lucrative as ever, and the game is still selling like hot cakes. According to the IGN report, the game has sold a total of 175 million units after sales last quarter.