Rockstar Says 2022 GTA 6 Leaks Felt 'Weirdly Invasive' and Changed Studio Security Policy

In September 2022, someone hacked the company's Slack channel and leaked dozens of raw, unfinished gameplay footage before Rockstar was ready to unveil anything. Rockstar released a statement about the leaks, and the footage spread quickly despite copyright takedowns. Law enforcement later tracked down the alleged hacker, but by then it was too late, TechRadar reported.

Aaron Garbut, Rockstar's co-head of development, described the emotional effect. 'It feels like somebody's wading through your dirty washing,' Garbut said. 'It's like they're inside your head. You see your early work out there. Nobody's ever supposed to see that. It's really weirdly invasive. And so it's quite hard to deal with on an emotional level.'

Following the leak, Rockstar introduced a policy in 2024 requiring every developer to work in-office five days a week for security reasons. Developers were also banned from accessing Rockstar's servers and tools outside the office, which TechRadar said forced them to take vacation days if they needed to stay home for childcare or emergencies. The policy set back cultural progress the studio had made after Red Dead Redemption 2, a game developed under extensive periods of crunch. With GTA 6, Rockstar knew it could not repeat those mistakes, but the new policy meant no more hybrid working.

Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar's head of publishing, told Bloomberg that the studio plans to reexamine the policy after GTA 6 launches, though she doubts it will be able to switch to the more common three-days-in, two-days-out hybrid model. 'The idea that we would have the game in that many environments is something that I think the security team would not love,' Kolbe said. 'I think if we did not have a game that people wanted to steal as much, maybe it would be an easier conversation.'

More leaks have occurred since, including ahead of Rockstar's GTA 6 extended look, and they persist to this day, according to TechRadar. A leaker known as 'Cyberleek' has threatened to release more in the lead-up to the game's launch on November 19. Rockstar has also released the cinematic GTA 6 launch trailer, which offers a deeper look into the game's story.

Editor's Summary

Rockstar executives say the 2022 GTA 6 leaks were 'weirdly invasive' and led the studio to require five-day in-office work for security. The policy may be reviewed after the game launches on November 19, even as further leaks and threats continue. The episode shows how a major security breach can reshape workplace rules and development culture at a high-profile game studio.