The consumer rights group Stop Killing Games has addressed this week’s Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks, urging people not to support the hackers claiming responsibility for leaking footage of the game ahead of its November release. The group released several minutes of what appears to be GTA 6 gameplay, and while developer Rockstar Games hasn’t officially commented yet on the footage that has spread online, its owner, Take-Two Interactive, wasted no time in issuing DMCA takedown notices.
This suggests that the gameplay may be authentic, and the videos themselves have had advertisements for memecoins and donation requests plastered all over them. The hackers, on the other hand, reportedly claimed in a manifesto–that is no longer available online–that the leak is in response to GTA 6’s physical edition for consoles being a code-in-a-box release, and they have warned that they’ll go after developers who also ship games without any proper physical edition.
Stop Killing Games, which has campaigned against online games being terminated, has criticized the hacker group for its actions and how they could potentially hurt the thousands of developers working on GTA 6.
“Using illegal means to make a point is unacceptable to us and does nothing to protect our right to keep using what we paid for,” Stop Killing Games wrote in a statement. “No matter how strongly you disagree with the decisions of upper management at these companies, there are still thousands of developers who worked hard on this project–and they’re the ones being hit the hardest. “Channel that frustration into something constructive instead. This kind of act is destructive and helps no one; worse, it risks tarnishing the reputation of our communities and our chances to make change.”
This isn’t the first time that GTA 6 has been in the crosshairs of hackers, as early footage of the game was leaked in 2022. At the time, Take-Two said the leaks were really “frustrating” and “upsetting”. An official look at GTA 6 is on the way, as part of a deep-dive showcase that’ll be shown on Netflix first. Scheduled for August 27, it’s the first proper preview of GTA 6 in over a year.
