Take-Two Issues Subpoenas to Discord and Microsoft to Identify GTA VI Leaker

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Following the leak of unreleased footage for Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI), developed by its subsidiary Rockstar Games, Take-Two has initiated legal procedures to identify the source. According to a report by Kotaku, the company has filed two petitions in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking subpoenas for Microsoft and Discord.

Information Sought from Microsoft

The GTA VI footage began circulating online on August 18th. Take-Two immediately issued takedown requests but was unable to stop the information from spreading.

What Take-Two is seeking from Microsoft relates to a GitHub repository. This repository reportedly contained copyrighted material, including “audiovisual content, artwork, images, dialogue, and other creative elements.”

Specifically, Take-Two is demanding the disclosure of “business records and investigation records” related to an internal investigation Microsoft conducted concerning an individual (or group) identified as “cyberleek.” GitHub is a source code hosting platform acquired by Microsoft in 2018 for approximately $7.5 billion, and the request targets user information and repository management records held by the company.

Account Information Sought from Discord

Discord is being asked for a more extensive disclosure. According to Kotaku’s article, the accounts and servers Take-Two is targeting are:

• Three user accounts: “CYBERLEEK,” “CINEMATICROCKSTAR,” and “Surfer24k”
• A Discord server run by GTA V content creator DarkViperAU
• A separate server named ”!Odyssey”

Take-Two is seeking all personally identifiable information (PII) for these accounts, including names, phone numbers, linked accounts, and all content shared in connection with GTA, Rockstar, or Cyberleek. The inclusion of DarkViperAU’s server is not seen as an implication of the creator’s involvement, but rather suggests the possibility that the leaked information was circulated via that server.

Leak Expands, Netflix Exclusive Reveal Concerns

Since the initial leak, new videos have surfaced suggesting that “CyberLEEK” or their group possesses a playable build of GTA VI. Take-Two and Rockstar had originally been planning to reveal an “Extended Look” at GTA VI on August 27th through an exclusive distribution deal with Netflix. This recent expansion of the leak could impact that marketing strategy.

Connection to Past Leak Incidents

This is not the first leak for GTA VI. In 2022, an 18-year-old member of the hacking group Lapsus$ had previously leaked footage using an Amazon Fire TV Stick. Following a mental health evaluation, that member was deemed unfit to stand trial. After being released, they expressed an intent to return to cybercrime, resulting in the court issuing an indefinite hospitalization order.

The legal action taken by Take-Two highlights the severity of the challenges the game industry faces in managing pre-release information. GitHub and Discord are platforms focused on open community management and user protection. The extent to which they comply with copyright holder disclosure requests will become a key issue influencing the future governance of online platforms.

Editorial Opinion

Short-term Impact: Take-Two’s legal moves are an attempt to control information ahead of GTA VI’s official release and also set a precedent for pre-release security for future major titles. Whether GitHub and Discord comply with the subpoenas depends on balancing their legal obligations with user trust. With less than three months until the November release, the company faces the dual challenge of curbing further leaks while salvaging the Netflix exclusive reveal. Long-term Perspective: This case is likely the first significant instance of a major game publisher attempting to trace leaked information back from a GitHub repository. Discussions about the extent to which platform operators should comply with the legal demands of copyright holders will accelerate. Furthermore, the move to include Discord servers in legal proceedings suggests a potential redefinition of anonymity within community platforms. Editorial Question: The core question to be examined is what standards platforms should use to balance their right to protect user anonymity against the legal rights of copyright holders.

References

• “Take-Two subpoenas Discord and Microsoft in hunt for GTA VI leaker”, by staff@engadget.com (Ian Carlos Campbell) — Engadget, 2026-08-21T20:47:17.000Z (ARR)
• Source URL: https://www.engadget.com/2241941/take-two-subpoenas-discord-and-microsoft-in-hunt-for-gta-vi-leaker/