GTA 6 Leak Did Not Affect Business, but Was an ‘Emotional Matter’, Says Take-Two CEO

The eighth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is perhaps the most awaited game in the history of games. It has been nearly a decade since Grand Theft Auto V initially released on consoles, now two generations old. Rockstar Games have already confirmed they are hard at work on GTA 6, but there's no word on a release date. Last year, eagerly waiting fans got an unauthorised look at the upcoming game when a leak revealed in-development footage from the next GTA. The leak, which included gameplay, characters, and the open world setting from GTA 6, sparked concerns about the impact it could have on the game's publishers. Right around the time for its latest earnings report, which fell slightly short of its target, Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive have said the leak did not adversely affect its business.

Speaking to IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said the leak was an “emotional matter” and not a business one. “"We take leaks very seriously indeed and they disappoint all of us, it's really frustrating and upsetting to the team," Zelnick said. "However, as a business matter we're not affected. But as a personal matter and an emotional matter, our teams are affected."

Last year in September, Rockstar Games suffered a massive leak, which revealed in-development gameplay footage from GTA 6. The leak, which popped up on a popular GTA forum, consisted of over 90 videos showing two playable characters, Lucia and Jason, all but confirming that the next Grand Theft Auto will have a female protagonist.

Videos from the leak went viral on multiple social media platforms as Take-Two Interactive started filing copyright claims to take the footage down. At the time, Rockstar issued a statement saying they were “extremely disappointed” to have any details of their next game shared in that manner.

Earlier last year, after years of speculation Rockstar Games finally revealed that they working on the next main instalment of GTA. “We're pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the series is underway,” the studio said in an online post last February.

Years after release, GTA 5 remains as lucrative as ever, with the game still selling like hot cakes. According to the IGN report, the game has sold a total of 175 million copies after last quarter's sales.