Rockstar Games, developer of the next “Grand Theft Auto” video game, confirmed a breach of its network that led to leaked footage of gameplay.
“We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto,” Rockstar Games wrote in a statement released on Twitter.
More than 90 videos and images of the next edition of the popular driving video game were leaked online by the hacker, according to BBC News and the New York Post.
According to Bloomberg, the hacker posted the never-before-seen videos on an online message board over the weekend. The user’s name was teapotuberhacker, an alias that also took credit for the hacking of Uber Technologies Inc. last week.
The hacker left a message about the “Grand Theft” incident in the online forum where the leaked footage was posted, writing, “I am looking to negotiate a deal.”
Another of the game’s creators, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., requested that YouTube and other destination websites of the leaked footage take down the videos under copyright claim, but this did not prevent the leaked first look from spreading.
Bloomberg’s sources describe the leaked footage as “an early and unpolished view of plans for Grand Theft Auto VI, though the final version will look much more refined.” Take-Two’s shares also went down as much as 3.3% Monday.
“At this time we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects,” Rockstar’s statement continued.
Rockstar Games announced its development of GTA VI in February of this year. GTA 5 has sold 170 million copies since its 2013 release.
“Grand Theft Auto VI” is projected to release in 2024 or ’25.