Dozens of the game’s development videos showing footage of heists, weapons and open-world driving were posted to an online message board by the hacker, in one of the biggest gaming leaks ever. The company, however, said it did not expect the incident to affect the game’s development, helping its shares pare some of their losses from a 6 percent drop in premarket trading. “Current Rockstar Games services are not affected. We have already taken steps to isolate and contain this incident,” Take-Two said in a statement. The hacking incident sparked fears of a delay in the release of the much-anticipated title, whose development was confirmed in February. Some analysts were also concerned about a possible leak of the game’s source code. “If the source code is leaked, 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’s released,” said Jefferies analyst Andrew Uerkwitz. Most brokerages, however, said the early footage looked good despite not being intended for distribution. “The leaked material simply confirms existing market rumors about the game’s development that have been circulating for years,” said Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey. “We are increasingly confident that the game can launch in FY25 and provide a significant catalyst for revenue and profit growth.” GTA VI is estimated to generate bookings (or digital and physical sales), US$3.5 billion at launch and an annual average of US$2 billion thereafter, according to BofA Global Research. The hacker, who also claimed to be the person behind a cyber incident at Uber Technologies Inc. last week, he had posted a message on the forum about seeking to “negotiate a deal” with Take-Two.
