On September 18, 2022, the gaming community saw one of the biggest leaks in video game history, and the leak reportedly included 90+ hours of Grand Theft Auto 6 videos in development from its developer, Rockstar Games.
Now, screenshots of the alleged hacker negotiating with random groups have been leaked, and it turns out that the hacker was trying to sell access to data related to GTA 5 and GTA 6 source codes. As Twitter user @vxunderground noted, the GTA 6 hacker "initiated conversations on selling access, but in the midst of negotiations burned access."
The screenshots of the conversation also revealed that Rockstar has been developing GTA 6 since 2014, and the allocated budget of around $2 billion dollars for the highly-anticipated game, according to the leaked details.
For comparison, Grand Theft Auto V had a budget of $265 million back in 2008, and GTA 5 has made over $6 billion since its release, making it the most profitable videogame of all time. Red Dead Redemption 2 had a budget of $540 million in its 8-year development cycle, and made over $725 million from sales in its first opening weekend.
It's worth noting that the leaked alleged figure is an allocation amount and covers all of GTA 6's expenses, including DLCs, marketing, Multiplayer supporter after the release of the game, like GTA 5 Online.
Even considering all the expenses for GTA 6, the leaked alleged figure is still insane and, if true, will make GTA 6 one of the most expensive videogames of all time, surpassing the budgets of various blockbuster movies like Avatar 2 or Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
The screenshots also revealed that the hacker was able to access TakeTwo's consumer data of 500PB, and the hacker mentioned having access to the data of various other companies, including 2k, Bank of Brasil, DoorDash, etc.
Rockstar hasn't officially confirmed if what these leaks are saying are true, so take the information with a grain of salt. Even if these claims turn out to be true, fans shouldn't be surprised if GTA 6 actually costs $2 billion, considering how much Rockstar made with GTA 5 over the years.
