GTA 6 developer Rockstar and publisher Take-Two Interactive aren't having good weeks. With just weeks to go until the Netflix extended look really kicks off the marketing campaign in earnest, a massive GTA 6 leak surfaced online Tuesday afternoon and revealed the full Leonida map as well as what looked to be near-final gameplay. The leaker, who goes by Cyberleek online, soon after revealed yet another leak that suggested they had access to a playable build of the game, which is really a worst case scenario for Rockstar and Take-Two in the final months to launch.
Cyberleek has threatened even more leaks if Take-Two doesn't reverse-course and print GTA 6 on physical discs instead of sticking to digital-only as is the plan right now. Rockstar in turn has issued DMCA takedowns but has yet to identify the leaker, and now as Cyberleek continually proves they'll make good on their threat, Take-Two has subpoenaed Microsoft and Discord in order "to obtain the identity" of the leaker and presumably sue them into oblivion.
Now, the reason we're here. The tweet. Xbox's chief technology officer Scott Van Vliet sent out a tweet Friday evening seemingly confirming the company's coordination with Rockstar and Take-Two on the GTA 6 leaks. "We are working closely with Take-Two and Rockstar Games to support efforts to protect creative works and intellectual property," reads the tweet.
Admittedly, the tweet is written in such a way that suggests it was reviewed and edited by a dozen lawyers and HR managers to avoid actually saying anything meaningful and specific. Is it about the subpoena Take-Two sent to Microsoft? Probably, but not for certain. Is it even about the GTA 6 leak at all? Definitely, but as Rockstar and Take-Two have declined to publicly comment on the leaks, it makes sense for Xbox to stop short of straight-up confirming their authenticity in a public forum. For now, it seems the takeaway, if there is one, is simply that Xbox seems to be cooperating with the subpoena from Take-Two, but again, that's not explicitly confirmed.
I've reached out to Xbox for comment and will update this article if I hear back.
