Rockstar Games has reportedly been the victim of another significant hack. The hacking group ShinyHunters infiltrated Rockstar’s systems and threatened to release the collected data unless a ransom of $200,000 was paid. Rockstar did not comply, and ShinyHunters proceeded to publish the information.
According to reports, there’s no indication that the leaked data contains any information about the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI, such as its code or other gameplay details. Instead, the breach has confirmed previously known financial aspects of Rockstar’s online titles.
It has been revealed that Grand Theft Auto Online generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually, with Shark Cards being a primary source of revenue. In contrast, Red Dead Online contributes only a fraction of this amount, explaining its perceived lack of development focus. The data also shows that GTA Online has the lowest weekly player count on PC compared to Xbox and PlayStation, and a small percentage of users are responsible for the majority of the game’s revenue.
While this confirmation of financial data is noteworthy, it appears that concerns about the GTA VI release being delayed due to this hack are unfounded. Although the game’s official November 19th release date is not guaranteed, it is highly unlikely that the leak of old, predictable financial data will be the primary reason for any further postponements.