Rockstar Games has issued its first public statement following more than a week of sustained leaks from a source known as Cyberleek, calling the situation "heartbreaking for our team" and offering an uncharacteristic apology to the player community. The statement arrived Wednesday morning on social media, as reported by The Verge, where it drew 380,000 likes in just over an hour, as another clip of leaked GTA VI gameplay surfaced moments after Rockstar posted.
The leak wave began around August 20 and has accelerated to as many as three new clips per day. The footage has shown open-world driving, map locations, and character interactions from what appears to be a playable PC build of Grand Theft Auto VI. Until today, Rockstar had remained silent. The new statement marks the first time the studio has addressed the leaks directly.
What Rockstar said
In a message posted across social media platforms, Rockstar opened with a direct acknowledgment: "It would be an understatement to say that having videos of Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay leak in this way has been heartbreaking for our team, and this is obviously not how we intended for you to see the game after all this time."
The studio apologized for the pace of official information, writing that "everything has taken as long as it has" from getting the game finished to sharing details. Rockstar confirmed the game is "nearly there" and confirmed the Netflix extended look premiere for August 27 at 3 PM ET, with a wider YouTube release six hours later. The game itself is scheduled for November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
"We are very excited for everyone to see the extended look tomorrow," the statement read. "It has taken longer than we wanted to get it ready, but as with everything we do, we know we need to exceed your expectations."
The post also thanked the community for messages of support, a relatively personal touch that suggests the leak situation has taken a real emotional toll on the development team.
The latest leak: Lucia's prison prologue
Just hours after Rockstar's statement, Cyberleek posted what appears to be the game's opening prologue, Kotaku reported. The 4.5-minute clip features Lucia, one of the two main protagonists, inside a prison. This is no surprise: Lucia in an orange prison jumpsuit was the first image anyone ever saw from GTA VI in the debut trailer, which itself was leaked less than 24 hours before Rockstar planned to publish it in December 2023.
The leaked prologue goes beyond that initial image. It reveals more about Lucia's background and includes scenes set within the prison facility that was first shown in the original trailer. The clip also contains on-screen text from Cyberleek, who claims "this build is actually recent" and that "the game is not ready at all."
Cyberleek's message goes further, accusing both Sony and Rockstar of "killing your right to own and resell your games" and alleging that "Rockstar is killing their own employees, too." The leaker adds that "the work required to reach gold is way too much for so little time left."
These are serious allegations. There is no way for outsiders to verify them at this point. The claim that the game is "not ready at all" directly contradicts Rockstar's own "nearly there" characterization. Many observers suspect the leaker may be escalating to story spoilers deliberately, keeping demand for the cryptocurrency token that has been tied to the leak operation.
The investigation and the crypto connection
Publisher Take-Two Interactive has filed legal requests to subpoena Microsoft and Discord in an effort to identify the source of the leaks. According to internal reports reviewed by Forbes, Rockstar's investigation has so far been unable to identify how a playable build left the studio's environment. The company has not shared details about the scope of the investigation.
The cryptocurrency angle has drawn particular scrutiny. Cyberleek has used the leak operation to promote a crypto token, and several observers have questioned whether the leaker's escalation to story spoilers is designed to maintain engagement while the August 27 Netflix preview is still a day away. Once the official extended look airs, the leaked gameplay clips will look comparatively familiar, which could reduce interest in the associated token.
What happens next
The Netflix extended look premieres tomorrow at 3 PM ET. It is expected to show roughly the same amount of footage that has already been leaked, which raises the question of what purpose it serves beyond providing an official, high-quality version of the content. Rockstar says the preview "has taken longer than we wanted to get it ready," suggesting the studio is treating it as a separate production from the leaked clips rather than a simple re-release.
The leak situation remains unresolved. Cyberleek has promised additional story spoilers, and with the release still three months away, there is no guarantee that the torrent of footage will stop. The pace has been as many as three clips per day for over a week, and the studio has given no indication that it has identified the source.
The situation is unprecedented in gaming history for a title of this scale. Having a full playable build leak ahead of launch, with a single actor posting whatever content they choose whenever they choose, represents a new kind of vulnerability for even the most security-conscious studios.
For more on gaming stories, see our coverage of Take-Two filing DMCA subpoenas against Microsoft and Discord to hunt the GTA VI leaker.