GTA 6 is one of the most anticipated video games of the decade, with major excitement surrounding its release, and thousands looking forward to seeing more from the game – but unfortunately, this anticipation has recently been railroaded by a number of large-scale leaks from developer Rockstar Games. On Sunday, a leaker named teapotuberhacker posted a massive lot of 90 videos on GTAforums, allegedly taken from an early build of GTA 6.
The footage appears to take place in Miami (or an equivalent location) and features two distinct protagonists – a woman named Lucia, and a man named Jason. In one clip, Lucia is seen holding up a diner and wielding a gun to corral patrons. Other clips show various in-development test environments and Jason talking to a male ‘redneck’ stereotype.
Leaker Teapotuberhacker claimed these videos were real, and this was seemingly confirmed by Rockstar parent company, Take-Two, when it began issuing take own notices for content posted on YouTube and Twitter. While these clips can still readily be found online, it appears the clean up effort has begun.
While the footage was not confirmed to be legitimate in an official capacity, there were plenty of reasons to think it was, given the parallels to previous reporting on the title.
Read: GTA 6 will reportedly have Hispanic female and male protagonists
According to an earlier report from Bloomberg, the upcoming game is set to feature dual protagonists, who are inspired by the real-life story of Bonnie and Clyde.
‘Rockstar’s next game, [GTA 6], will include a playable female protagonist,’ Bloomberg claimed in mid 2022. ‘The woman, who is Latina, will be one of a pair of leading characters in a story influenced by the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde, the people said.’
As many have since noted, the leaked footage did contain dual protagonists, one of which could easily fit the description shared by Bloomberg, a publication with a reputation for accurate insider reporting of the video game industry.
With the reportedly leaked footage now doing the rounds online, people who are unfamiliar with the process of a game’s development process are expressing their disappointment, claiming the game looks unfinished or unpolished, and that ‘GTA 5 looked better’. While this reflects a fundamental lack of knowledge about the creation of games, it also reveals the detrimental impact of leaks for everyone involved.
This is, obviously, not the way Rockstar intended to reveal the game. It only serves to dampen anticipation, and create false expectations (and disappointment) for an eager fanbase. At this stage, it’s likely GTA 6 is set for a 2024 or 2025 release, meaning this footage is subject to extreme change.
Following these leaks going viral, Teapotuberhacker claimed they were looking to negotiate a deal with Rockstar Games or Take-Two, although it’s currently unclear what they’re looking to gain. Whatever the case, it’s likely Take-Two will pursue the matter to its fullest capability – a leak like this is incredibly rare, and will likely have a major impact on everyone involved.
