The group claiming responsibility for today’s apparent GTA 6 gameplay and map leak is using the publicity that’s come with the leak to promote its own crypto coin, all with the ironclad assurance that “this is not a cash grab.”
A lengthy manifesto from online group Cyberleek – that is, the “CYBERLEEK Edict” – spells out three “Commandments” around digital rights. In short: end digital pre-orders, end baked-in DLC which can only be accessed through additional purchases, and ensure offline-playable versions for any single-player content in online games.
The whole thing reads like an unhinged version of Stop Killing Games, and likewise takes aim at Ubisoft‘s The Crew, a racing game that vanished as its servers went dark despite having a single-player mode, as an example of why games should be preserved.
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That manifesto also calls on gamers to help fight shadowy corporations by shelling out for a meme coin on crypto platform Solana.
“To fight this war, CYBERLEEK is raising funds for a secret project,” the manifesto reads. “The specifics cannot be revealed yet; showing the cards to the big corporations would only give them time to build their defenses. Let it be absolutely clear: this is not a cash grab.”
This is, of course, exactly what I would say if I, too, was not running a cash grab profiting off of attention orbiting the most-anticipated game of the year, and possibly all time.
The GTA 6 map images circulating online bear a distinct call to action for this fundraising plan: buy our crypto coin. You know, to be used in “fighting for gamers’ rights.”
It goes without saying that this couldn’t be more suspicious. That is, until you read more of the manifesto, which is steeped in ’90s hacker mystique and seemingly assembled from rejected Cyberpunk 2077 item descriptions.
“CYBERLEEK has been patient,” it continues. “That patience is over. What follows are three commandments. If CYBERLEEK targets a publisher, it is because that publisher broke one. CYBERLEEK will not stop until they issue a public statement and apology with a concrete commitment to be better. Words are not enough; restitution is mandatory.”
It’s unclear what “restitution” is expected from Rockstar. The last hacker to take on the studio like this ended up in court and a secure hospital. Parent company Take-Two has already begun slinging DMCA takedowns online in response to this new leak, so you can bet its legal department has its ears perked right up.
“Publishers should beware. If CYBERLEEK can reach Rockstar, no one is safe. This is a message to all big corpo: behave, or be the next target,” the post concludes.
I stand corrected. Now it seems even more suspicious.
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