GTA 6 will cost $80 - and physical edition will not contain a disc

[retaxis]

Was some Indian outsource tech bro the confirmed culprit? There has been plenty of speculation.

Yes, Rockstar India has been identified in numerous reports as the source of the recent serious Grand Theft Auto VI leaks. While there is no official confirmation from Rockstar Games or its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, a consistent narrative from investigative reporting and industry speculation points to a security breach at the company's Indian studio as the origin .

Here is a breakdown of how the breach is reported to have occurred and the history behind it.

How the Breach Allegedly Happened​

According to various reports, the suspected entry point for the hackers was a phishing attack on a high-level employee at Rockstar India.

• The Target: The attack reportedly targeted the IT Director at the Rockstar India office in Bengaluru .
• The Method: Hackers allegedly used a successful phishing scam to compromise the executive's account credentials. Once they had control of this high-ranking account, they were able to bypass the studio's internal security and access sensitive internal systems .
• The Stolen Data: The hackers, identified in various reports as groups like 808 Mafia or the individual/group known as CyberLeek, claim to have accessed and stolen a significant amount of data. This reportedly includes a playable development build of GTA VI for Xbox and internal documents like financial records .

 

[retaxis]

Yes, Rockstar India has been identified in numerous reports as the source of the recent serious Grand Theft Auto VI leaks. While there is no official confirmation from Rockstar Games or its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, a consistent narrative from investigative reporting and industry speculation points to a security breach at the company's Indian studio as the origin .

Here is a breakdown of how the breach is reported to have occurred and the history behind it.

How the Breach Allegedly Happened​

According to various reports, the suspected entry point for the hackers was a phishing attack on a high-level employee at Rockstar India.

• The Target: The attack reportedly targeted the IT Director at the Rockstar India office in Bengaluru .
• The Method: Hackers allegedly used a successful phishing scam to compromise the executive's account credentials. Once they had control of this high-ranking account, they were able to bypass the studio's internal security and access sensitive internal systems .
• The Stolen Data: The hackers, identified in various reports as groups like 808 Mafia or the individual/group known as CyberLeek, claim to have accessed and stolen a significant amount of data. This reportedly includes a playable development build of GTA VI for Xbox and internal documents like financial records .

Another Hit for Indian outsourcing...

 

[Master Chief]

Another Hit for Indian outsourcing...

Rockstar only have themselves to blame for falling for this "silicon valley of India" b.s.

A hundred odd glorified off shore tech support centres with no viable IT security infrastructure lie exposed as a result of this debacle.

 

[retaxis]

Rockstar only have themselves to blame for falling for this "silicon valley of India" b.s.

A hundred odd glorified off shore tech support centres with no viable IT security infrastructure lie exposed as a result of this debacle.

This is such big news in the entertainment industry I wouldn't be surprised if gaming companies decide to cut back completely on India due to lack of security and reliability.

 

[Master Chief]

This is such big news in the entertainment industry I wouldn't be surprised if gaming companies decide to cut back completely on India due to lack of security and reliability.

Not sure about that. The attraction is and remains the low costs. Of course, the budget option comes with risks as we have seen.

However, much of the industry may be under threat anyway from AI and the modern, more unscrupulous business models designed to transition asset ownership to "hire purchase".

It's a slow death imho.

 

[retaxis]

Not sure about that. The attraction is and remains the low costs. Of course, the budget option comes with risks as we have seen.

However, much of the industry may be under threat anyway from AI and the modern, more unscrupulous business models designed to transition asset ownership to "hire purchase".

It's a slow death imho.

Yeah i got a friend from Philippines who used to work for Western company doing back office stuff. They got rid of them to re locate to india and then she told me not long after they replaced nearly all the workers with AI.

Just because someone can speak English isn't going to be able to use that as a career option in the future anymore.

 

[retaxis]

Beware: Cyberleek leaks first GTA 6 story spoilers

The first few minutes of Grand Theft Auto 6's story have leaked in an almost five minute clip of Lucia's prologue.

dotesports.com

Tomorrow the GTA 6 netflix premier show or whatever is happening. I already have netflix so will check it out and see whats up. I have never played GTA online and only have good memories of playing GTA 3 as a kid with friends taking turns.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

GTA 6 will cost $80 - and physical edition will not contain a disc​

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Laura CressTechnology reporter

Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto 6, the latest instalment of Rockstar Games' biggest ever franchise, will cost $79.99, with a more premium edition costing $99.99.

It is not yet known how much the game will cost in the UK - the BBC has asked Rockstar for a list of regional prices.

Rockstar said physical copies of the game will contain a code for a digital download for the game inside a box, rather than a disc.

Freelance video games journalist Vic Hood said the price tag for the standard edition was "fairly reasonable" but said the lack of disc may "irk some physical collectors".

However, she added the decision made sense from Rockstar's point of view, "as it reduces the amount of rebuying and reselling and helps prevent leaks".

One of the most hotly-anticipated games of the year, GTA 6 will open for pre-orders at midnight local time on 25 June.

GTA 6 - all you need to know about Rockstar's blockbuster game​

The game itself - which some analysts say could be the most expensive ever made - will be released on 19 November on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.



Following the reveal, some fans questioned the point of purchasing a physical copy, if it did not contain a disc.

Others queried whether they would be able to re-sell the game after, as can be done with normal physical editions with a disc, or whether the code would be shareable.

Fans seemed less concerned by the price - a $10 increase for the standard edition compared to the typical $70 price tag for similarly-sized blockbuster games.

"$10 won't be such a big hit to consumers pockets, but I still hope $80 won't become the norm," posted one.

When it launched in 2013, GTA 5 cost $59.99 for the standard edition.

Joost van Dreunen, a professor of games business at NYU Stern said the pricing was a "clever strategy" by Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two.

"Take-Two is catering to the largest possible audience while offering die-hards an upgraded tier," he said.

GTA 6 pre-order date and cover art revealed by Rockstar​

Rockstar added that players who pre-order digital versions of the game will be able to begin pre-loading it on their consoles on November 12 to ensure they are able to play at launch.

The physical version of GTA 6 will also be available starting 12 November to support pre-loading.

The more expensive "Ultimate Edition" will include features such as more vehicles, weapons and outfits for the characters.

How long has GTA 6 been in development?​

It has been a long and bumpy road to this point for Rockstar.

Fans have been hankering for a follow-up to GTA 5 after it was released back in 2013, and became one of the best-selling games of all time.

Rockstar confirmed it was working on GTA 6 in February 2022, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

But after it was hacked and assets from the work-in-progress title were leaked online, the company delayed its slated release window.





Its launch date was pushed back again in late 2025 to November 2026.

At the same time, the company has also faced internal pressures - with some staff at Rockstar North, its Edinburgh HQ, claiming it tried to stop staff unionising by sacking them.

Rockstar Games
GTA 5 has sold nearly 230 million copies, generating billions of dollars in revenue for Rockstar.

The sixth game in the franchise will feature its first ever playable female protagonist in a 3D setting - Lucia - alongside her partner in life and crime, Jason, as a second playable character.

The question of how much the game will cost has been hotly debated amongst fans and analysts in the build-up to the game's pre-order release.

Hood said the price may set a new standard for AAA or big-budget games.

"The price of game production has been increasing and if GTA 6 can lead the charge for a price increase that is palatable for players, it's likely other studios will follow suit," she said.

GTA 6 will cost £70 and physical edition will contain no disc

Rockstar has said physical copies of the game will contain a code for a digital download for the game.

www.bbc.com

GTA 6 Gameplay Trailer (FULL NETFLIX EXTENDED LOOK SHOWCASE)​