Let’s be for real. Ever since video game leaks became the norm in the industry, everything that was once exciting in this sphere has declined. The surprise factor in video games was always a core part of the experience, and shadow drops and big announcements made us all come together several times each year in shock and awe that our favorite franchise just got another entry confirmed.
But nowadays there is a large section of the community that hates secrecy, anticipation, and hypotheticals. No, they need to know it all, see it all, consume it all to be able to have even a fraction of excitement brewing within them. And these leaks are, more or less, based on old, irrelevant, or surface-level information that inevitably throws shade on whatever they’re attached to, case in point being Rockstar’s GTA 6.
These latest leaks are pandering in-development test footage where things are, on purpose, very basic. The developers, or whoever is playing the test build, are working on ironing out every facet of the game, which requires the tester to do the most rudimentary activities imaginable, such as stealing cars, taking people out of them, beating their a** (literally), and so on.
These are the things a lot of players are going to do and, frankly, concepts that form the core of the GTA sandbox experience.
But because they also form the center of the leaks, people are already bashing Rockstar and GTA for making GTA 5 2 and not innovating enough. No one cares that this is, again, a test build, from as far back as 2023. No one thinks about anything beyond what’s in front of them; all they care is that this leak is here and it’s enough to preemptively form an opinion on a game that’s literally months away.
Leaks extend beyond just ruining video games’ reputations through, well, footage that was never supposed to be seen in the first place. Last year, during The Game Awards 2025, Larian was hosting a strange ARG where it put up statues in the United States for people to see and start rumors and theories about, all in anticipation of its reveal of the new Divinity game.
It was a fun, real-life mystery that tied into the studio’s latest title, but of course leakers, through the use of copyright and trademark filings, ruined the mystery for everyone. And I myself am guilty of covering that story as well.
In games journalism, our hands have been forced more often than not to talk and write about these leaks and stories, because we’re in the business of letting you know about big developments, especially when things are hot and huge like GTA 6. We sometimes internally do not even want to talk about them, but, again, we kind of have to.
Lately, though, things have started changing. Rockstar has become so aggressive when it comes to pursuing leakers that people are starting to be a little afraid nowadays, and I honestly believe that’s good. Leaks need to significantly reduce, if not disappear completely, since we simply do not have the surprise factor in this industry anymore.
And that’s a huge shame. Theories, anticipation, and getting excited over what may happen have always been foundational to the gaming community. Without it, I don’t even know why we tune into game shows anymore. It seems that every time a big show is supposed to happen, some rando out there comes up with at least a few names that are going to appear, and in a few instances puts out entire trailers or images from the show.
It’s horrible, ruins everything, and helps literally no one.
And I’ve played a hand in it, too. But in the future, I’m never covering leaks again. And neither should you hold your breath for them.
