Grand Theft Data: Hacking City, or what to do if your AAA game is published by a hacker

25. 11. 2022

Author: Michal Kandráč, Matyáš Tauber

Take-Two Interactive’s Rockstar Games studio had to deal with a major cyberattack in September, which resulted in the disclosure of a large amount of information about the development of GTA VI. As similar cybernetic attacks on the world’s top video game companies are on the rise, we have decided to summarise the situation in the post below.

Virtually everyone who has ever owned a PC or console has come across the “Grand Theft Auto”, or “GTA”, video game franchise. Rockstar Games releases new games in the franchise at intervals of about three to five years (the latest GTA V was even released in 2013), and they usually keep all information about the development strictly protected until the first trailers are released. This is one of the reasons why a new GTA is always one of the hottest topics in the gaming world. Unfortunately, cyberattacks are becoming more and more effective, as the September leak regarding GTA VI illustrates.

What happened?

A hacker going by the nickname “teapotuberhacker” hacked Rockstar Games servers and posted approximately 3 GB of GTA VI development data on the internet. The data included mainly information regarding the main protagonists, and also screenshots and gameplays from the then-current state of the game.

Initially, the whole situation seemed like one of the many fake “leaks” that had been countless in the past (such as reports of a complete remake of GTA: The Trilogy). Unfortunately, once the leak of the data was officially confirmed by Rockstar Games, things took a completely different turn and Take-Two Interactive’s stock value dropped by 3 %.

How did it end?

Rockstar Games faced the situation head on and took basically all the steps possible – communicating well with the public, reporting GTA VI-related content published on all servers (Reddit, YouTube, etc.) as illegal, etc. In general, Rockstar Games created a narrative that inspired sympathy rather than ridicule (although there were a few individuals who pointlessly criticised the state of GTA VI). In the meantime, the police in the United Kingdom have detained a 17-year-old youth whom they suspect of the attack.

It was precisely this transparency on Rockstar Games’ part that strongly resonated within the global gaming community, and other game studios, in solidarity, began sharing unreleased footage from the development of successful titles such as The Last of Us, Uncharted, and Horizon Zero Dawn.

What does that imply?

Game developers should not underestimate the possibility of a cyberattack, as its potential consequences may have a critical impact on the future of the game as a whole and, by extension, the company itself. The hacker group Lapsus$, which has already launched attacks on gaming giants such as Microsoft, Samsung and Nvidia, can serve as a notorious example.

In practice, effective prevention of and response to cyberattacks entails a combination of multiple factors, which we summarise in our practical recommendation. If you encounter the above problems in your business, do not hesitate to contact us – we will be happy to discuss your questions with you at any time and help you find an effective solution.