Rockstar Games, the publisher of the famous video game Grand Theft Auto, admitted on Monday that videos of the next version of GTA 6, in development, were pirated and posted online this weekend.
“We recently experienced a computer breach in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information onto our systems, including images from the upcoming Grand Theft Auto,” the studio tweeted.
The specialized PC Gamer site noted this weekend that a file containing some 90 GTA 6 videos was published on gamer forums.
The person who posted them under the pseudonym “teapotuberhacker” claimed to be also responsible for hacking Uber last week and promised to “leak more information soon” regarding the game.
The videos notably show a new female character that players might choose from. The Bloomberg agency had indicated earlier this year that GTA 6 should feature a female protagonist influenced by the mythical American couple Bonnie and Clyde.
“We are extremely disappointed that details of the upcoming game are being shared with you in this way,” said video game developer Rockstar, owned by American industry giant Take-Two Interactive.
Since the very first installment in the series, in 1997, Grand Theft Auto has been as popular as it is criticized for its violence – it is the only known title to have received an adult-only rating.
Players embody criminals rushing in their big cars in similar settings in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Miami.
The studio had confirmed in February to be designing a new opus, eagerly awaited since the release of GTA 5 in 2013.
“At this stage, we do not anticipate any disruptions to our live gaming services,” Rockstar said. “Our work is continuing as planned.”
The identity of the hacker, and his connection to the Uber hack last week, has not been established.
The world leader in chauffeur-driven car reservations reported a “cybersecurity incident” on Thursday evening.
“We have no evidence that the incident compromised sensitive user data,” the platform said on Friday, adding that all of its services and mobile application were “operational”.
According to New York Times and cybersecurity experts, a hacker who says he is 18 allegedly obtained access codes to Uber’s internal network by posing as a member of the technical team to an employee.
