Rockstar Games has just released a statement to its official Twitter page verifying the leak of GTA 6 that was spread yesterday. The developers were reportedly "devastated" at having their work-in-progress seen by so many before it was ready for public consumption.
Rockstar's statement confirms that the leak is real, and was the result of "a network intrusion in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded ... early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto."
While a leak of this size is certain to cause a stir at any development studio, Rockstar also assured fans that "we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effects on the development of our ongoing projects." While it doesn't outright say there won't be any delays due to this leak, that would surely constitute a long-term effect.
The statement goes on to read, "Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned." It also expresses the disappointment the team feels at their work having been shown in its current state, and that they are "committed as ever to delivering an experience to you, our players, that truly exceeds your expectations."
The statement concludes by informing us that Rockstar will update us soon and "properly introduce" us to GTA 6 when it's ready.
Take-Two Interactive's - Rockstar's parent company - infamously litigious lawyers are already issuing DMCA strikes to get leaked footage removed from the internet, but as we all know, once something is online, it's out there forever.
Developers and fans have all offered words of support for Rockstar devs affected by this leak, and many have taken this as an opportunity to remind sceptical fans that this game is likely still years out, and for a work in progress, it already looks remarkable.
There is currently a rumour that a 16-year-old hacker is responsible for leaking the 90 videos that total over an hour of footage. Another hacker has allegedly tried to ransom the source code for GTA 5 alongside confidential GTA 6 documents.