A leaker posting supposed in-development gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto 6 ahead of its Netflix reveal next week is threatening to reveal even more in a pseudo-manifesto targeting the end of physical discs.
The leaker (person or persons, unclear) recently posted a few short gameplay clips of what looks like GTA 6 in action, along with a purported image of the Vice City map. It was tough to verify legitimacy at first, especially in the age of generative AI, but Rockstar Games has since reportedly issued DMCA notices to take the footage down, making it seem legitimate.
The videos show main character Jason doing things like playing basketball and driving around, and honestly, they made me even more excited for the game’s launch in November. It looks pretty awesome, despite the low quality.
The leaks are also plastered with overlaid text acting as an ad for a cryptocurrency coin. But according to the leaker, who says they are “fighting for gamer’s rights,” they have more footage and will post it soon unless Rockstar and other industry publishers agree to their “commandments”:
- Commandment I: Thou shalt not sell digital preorders.
- Commandment II: Thou shalt not sell fake single-player DLC.
- Commandment III: Thou shalt preserve single-player content.
The gist appears to be that the leaker is angry about GTA 6 only being available digitally, and presumably, PlayStation’s decision to end its physical disc production in 2028 as well.
“No consumer shall pay for a game through digital storefronts before release and independent review,” the leaker said. “Physical preorders for tangible media remain permitted. Preorders were not created for gamers. They were created because physical discs had manufacturing limits. In digital distribution, there is no inventory. There is no stock shortage. A digital copy cannot sell out. Yet publishers kept the preorder system and stripped away its only consumer benefit. Now gamers pay early and receive nothing in return except a countdown timer and a cosmetic skin.”
They continued to say that their “commandments” apply to all publishers, and that anyone else who violates them “will be targeted.” As for Rockstar and GTA, the leaker says they will “continue to disrupt their operations until they issue a public apology with a concrete commitment to fix the harm they caused.”
Destructoid has reached out to Rockstar for comment on the situation, but I would not be surprised if there’s zero public reaction from the company throughout this whole ordeal.
Update on Aug. 19 at 9:25am CT: The leaker has followed through on the threat and posted further leaks, including more gameplay and a short snippet of a cutscene.
