A hacker has leaked the first images of Grand Theft Auto VI, the next installment of the popular video game.
The leak, including dozens of videos showing robberies, gunfire and open-world driving, was posted to an online message board.
Rockstar Games, the studio behind the game, said on Twitter on Monday: “We recently experienced a network breach in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including raw materials. Development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto.
“At this time, we do not anticipate any disruption to our live gaming services or any long-term effects on the development of our ongoing projects.
“We are extremely disappointed to have details of our upcoming game shared with you all in this way.
“Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned and we remain more committed than ever to delivering an experience to you, our players, that truly exceeds your expectations.
“We’ll update everyone soon and of course we’ll properly introduce you to this next game when it’s ready.
“We would like to thank everyone for their continued support in this situation.”
“public relations disaster”
Shares of Take-Two, the owner of Rockstar Games, fell more than 3.8% on news of the hack, as the company reportedly began posting image takedown notices and links to the images for a number of websites.
The hacker, who claimed he was behind a cyber incident at Uber last week, said on a web forum that he wanted to “negotiate a deal” with Take-Two, without giving further details.
Jefferies analysts described the hack as a “public relations disaster,” adding in a client note that it “can set back production and hurt morale.”
But the hacker could pose an even greater threat, they said, adding: “If the source code leaks, it could require significant changes under the hood of the game to ensure its stability and the integrity of the GTA VI Online server. once it is launched”. .
And the stakes are high – according to Bank of America Global Research, Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to generate bookings of $3.5 billion (£3 billion) at launch and an annual average of $2 billion (1.75 billion pounds) thereafter.
