Obbe Vermeij, former technical director of games like GTA 4 and veteran of Rockstar Games, described the recent GTA 6 leaks as “a lot of nonsense”. Through a post on the social network X, he asked the community to calm down, offering a new perspective on what happened.
A hacker, known on the internet as Cyberleek, has recently released gameplay clips of GTA 6, claiming to have two purposes: publicizing a cryptocurrency scheme and forcing Rockstar Games to grant more digital rights to players. Take-Two Interactive, the parent company, considers the case serious and even notified Microsoft and Discord through legal means to identify the individual. However, Vermeij observes the situation with more detachment.
In his statement, Vermeij explained that Rockstar has maintained a strategy of secrecy regarding its projects for years longer than other publishers, as the mystery generates great expectations. For this reason, leaks appear to be more serious than they actually are. “All that happened was some images were leaked,” he said. If GTA 6 had already had a traditional marketing campaign, with gameplay videos officially released, the impact of the leaked material would be much smaller.
Vermeij’s main point, however, focuses on the audience. “Ninety percent of future players don’t spend time on the internet searching for video clips,” he said. “They don’t have time and they don’t want spoilers. I think the teams are a little upset about it, but nothing more.”
How the controversial Hot Coffee case serves as a comparison for leaks
To strengthen his argument, Vermeij made reference to one of the biggest scandals in the series: the Hot Coffee case. This famous minigame with sexual content, which was accidentally accessible within GTA San Andreas, generated great legal and moral repercussions at the time. The former director confirmed that he participated in the development of that game.
“I was there during ‘Hot Coffee,'” Vermeij said. “It was a nightmare for management [at Rockstar’s New York offices], but it didn’t affect us much [at Rockstar North]. Today’s leaks are far less impactful than [‘Hot Coffee’]. All indications are that GTA 6 will be a phenomenal success and will continue to sell for 15 years or more. The leaks are just a minor setback.”
One aspect that makes the scenario a little more complex is the fact that, in recent dates, Cyberleek shared images that indicate its access to a playable version of the game, not limited to just video clips. The situation would have the potential to worsen considerably if this full version were made available online.
Vermeij, however, remains calm. He explained that the material “probably only works in a devkit”, as dev kits contain much more memory than an Xbox, PlayStation or regular PC. “There probably isn’t a version of the game that would work on a retail PS5 at this point,” he concluded.
GTA 6 is scheduled to be released on November 19, 2026, with versions for PS5 and Xbox Series S|X.
