Summary
A former Rockstar Games developer has argued that the devastating September 2022 leaks ofGrand Theft Auto 6wouldn’t be as significant if the studio hadn’t remained constantly silent about the title. In one of the biggest data breaches in the history of the games industry,Grand Theft Auto 6was profoundly leaked when hackers infiltrated Rockstar’s servers and obtained around 90 minutes of highly sensitive development footage of the highly anticipated game.
Thevideos prematurely publicized confidential details aboutGTA 6, such as its protagonists, setting, environments, etc. To make matters even more precarious for Rockstar, there were rumors floating around that the hackers had procuredGTA 6’s source code from the leaks, and that they were intent on selling it off to the highest bidder. Thankfully, that didn’t come to pass, but it still doesn’t change the fact that this was the very first impression ofGTA 6for everyone outside the developers working on it. Understandably, both Take-Two and Rockstar Games acted very quickly to take down the leaks wherever they were posted.
A lot of people, including other game developers, who came across theuntimelyGTA 6leaks were fortunately empatheticenough to not judge them too harshly. However, according to former Rockstar developer Obbe Vermeij, who worked on iconic games likeGTA 3andGTA San Andreas, theGTA 6leaks aren’t as big a deal as many might believe. Speaking in a recentYouTube interview with SanInPlay, Vermeij claimed that theGTA 6leaks were only significant for fans because “Rockstar doesn’t give them any news,” and that the leaks wouldn’t be “as important as people think” if not for the studio’s enduring secrecy.
Rockstar’s Secrecy Around GTA 6 is Necessary Despite the Leaks, Says Vermeij
While Vermeij’s remarks may initially appear scathing, he actually went on to defendRockstar’s sparse communication approachby stating that he fully understands why gaming powerhouses like “Rockstar or EA or Ubisoft” choose to remain quiet about their big projects. According to Vermeij, this is because every time a “big company” drops any news or official statements, it often gets “analyzed” and receives negative coverage. Given the circumstances, Vermeij contends that the “best bet” for a developer is to just remain quiet. This can unfortunately lead to situations like theGTA 6leak, which Vermeij underscores is not the developers' fault.
Interestingly, Vermeij recently made separate headlines for claiming thatRockstar fans should tone down their expectations forGTA 6, as it might not be that generational a leap from its predecessor, 2013’sGrand Theft Auto 5. While Rockstar’s talent for building unprecedentedly impressive worlds is well established, Vermeij’s advice is likely sound since fan expectations can sometimes be unrealistic, which puts undue pressure on developers. In any case, fans will experience the full scope ofGTA 6once it releases in fall 2025.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
