Highly anticipated ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ leaked by hacker days ahead of big Netflix preview, games confab in Germany

The leak of “Grand Theft Auto VI” before the video game’s release later this year — and a planned exclusive preview on Netflix this Thursday — might seem like a nightmare scenario for the highly secretive developer Rockstar Games.

But it’s more of a bummer for the hush-hush game’s creators than a hit to Rockstar’s bottom line, gamers say — even as Rockstar parent Take-Two’s stock slid as a result of the leaks.

While the latest “Spider-Man” movie is being vaunted as the hit of the summer with over $2.2 billion at the global box office to date, “GTA VI” is expected to bring in “$3.25 billion and $5.2 billion in week-one launch revenue” when it’s released in November, a tracking expert told Forbes last month.

But since then, a hacker — or group — calling themselves Cyberleek, has been releasing peeks of the game since Wednesday. Rockstar, which has not released a new game since 2018, reportedly took legal action in federal court on Friday to get the clips taken down and try to unmask the leaker, reports said.

The way the leaks have been presented indicates the hackers have a complete build of the game — as they were even spelling the group’s name in bullet holes on a wall, meaning they have a playable model, not just a video leak. (FWIW, the hackers have said they’re protesting the fact that Rockstar is not putting out a physical disc for the upcoming game and going digital only, among other gripes.)

Weeks before the leaks, Rockstar announced it was taking the unusual step of showing a special “extended look” at the game via a Netflix special this week. The company has not publicly acknowledged the rogue clips or commented at all.

But unlike a movie, the leaks won’t steal business from the title, we hear, as fans will still want to get their hands on the game in November to play it themselves, even if some of the surprise is taken away.

“GTA V” made $1.15 billion in its first five days, analysts have said, and is the biggest-selling premium game ever, with 230 million copies sold.

At the same time, the confab GamesCom is going on in Germany this week.