GTA 6 Leaks: Take-Two holds Discord and Microsoft accountable
Leaked GTA 6 gameplay has been appearing online since August 18. Take-Two wants to identify the leaker through four DMCA subpoenas.
(Image: Rockstar Games)
Take-Two Interactive is taking legal action against the leaks of game scenes from “GTA 6.” The publisher has filed four requests for so-called DMCA subpoenas with a federal court in New York directed against Discord, Microsoft, X, and Google.
Since August 18, an unknown person under the name “Cyberleek” has been publishing video clips from an unfinished version of “GTA 6.” The material is likely from an older development stage, but according to the leaker, they have a playable version. The clips include a manifesto against digital pre-orders and the disappearance of physical media. TorrentFreak reports on the four DMCA requests.
Manhunt in the Chat
The request against Discord is particularly far-reaching: Take-Two demands the data of all accounts that have communicated on three named Discord servers since June 1. This would also affect users who have nothing to do with the leaks themselves. From Microsoft, the publisher is demanding, among other things, Windows device IDs, IP addresses at registration and last login, phone numbers, linked Google and Xbox accounts, and OneDrive content, reports Tom’s Hardware.
Screenshots aus „GTA 6“ (70 Bilder)
Rockstar Games
)Meanwhile, Take-Two is demanding account IDs, registration emails, IP logs, and phone numbers from X Corp. for three now-blocked accounts that had attracted attention in the “GTA” community as copycats. A request against Google, according to TorrentFreak, names a YouTube video and three channels, one of which also appears in the Discord request.
No data has been leaked yet
DMCA subpoenas under Section 512(h) of the US Copyright Act allow rights holders to demand user data from a provider without prior litigation. A substantive review by a court is not necessary for this. Although two judges have signed orders for issuance, the subpoenas have not yet been issued, according to TorrentFreak. Therefore, no user data has been transmitted so far.
Furthermore, DMCA claims only apply to individuals associated with specific protected material. Whether it can be extended to thousands of Discord users, many of whom have not published anything, is questionable. Take-Two’s lawyers stated that it is exclusively about the identity of the infringers.
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Official Gameplay on Thursday
Meanwhile, Rockstar plans to release its gameplay scenes. The “GTA 6” trailer will be released on Thursday, initially on Netflix, and will be shown there at 9 p.m. German time under the title “Grand Theft Auto VI: An In-Depth Look.” It will follow on YouTube six hours later. So far, fans have only seen cinematically edited trailers.
The situation is not new for Rockstar. In September 2022, around 90 video clips with early gameplay from “GTA 6” ended up in a fan forum. The files originated from the studio’s internal Slack system. At that time too, Take-Two had the videos removed from YouTube via DMCA takedown without being able to curb their spread. A member of the hacking group Lapsus$ was responsible.
“GTA 6” will be released on November 19 for Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S; a PC version has not been announced.
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