Rockstar Scrambles to Remove GTA 6 Animation Leak
▼ Summary
– A Rockstar employee’s demo reel briefly featured minimal, incomplete animated footage believed to be from the upcoming GTA 6, including a character using a bike rental service.
– The footage, which has since been removed from the internet, is considered a legitimate leak because Rockstar took it down, unlike numerous fake AI-generated “leaks” that remain online.
– The clips showed early-stage animations, such as a character interacting with a yellow “LomBike” and a female protagonist, likely Lucia, performing actions with a pickup truck.
– Rockstar is also facing controversy for firing staff, an action perceived as union busting and which has been discussed in UK Parliament.
– Reports suggest the employee dismissals were related to internal company messages being shared on a private Discord server with union workers.
The recent removal of brief animation clips from an employee’s portfolio has sparked renewed discussion within the gaming community, offering a subtle but significant hint about the development progress of the highly anticipated title. Rockstar Games swiftly acted to take down the footage, which appeared in a demo reel by animator Benjamin Chue. While the clips themselves were minimal and clearly unfinished, their subsequent deletion is widely interpreted as a tacit confirmation of their authenticity. This stands in stark contrast to the numerous AI-generated “leaks” that continue to circulate online without any action from the developer.
The removed snippets featured very early-stage animations set against a plain grey background. One clip showed a character interacting with a yellow rental bicycle branded “LomBike,” a clear parody of real-world micromobility services like Lime. This aligns with earlier leaks that suggested the game would include satirical versions of modern apps and companies, such as Uber and WhatsApp. Another pair of clips depicted a female character, believed to be the rumored protagonist Lucia, interacting with a pickup truck, first sitting on its tailgate and later jumping from the roof into the truck bed and onto the road.
The significance lies not in the content, which reveals little, but in Rockstar’s decisive response. By ensuring the legitimate work was scrubbed from its hosting platform on Vimeo, the company has drawn a clear line between fabricated AI content and actual development material. This incident occurs against a backdrop of other challenges for the studio, including ongoing scrutiny over its labor practices.
Separate from the leaks, Rockstar continues to face headlines concerning its treatment of staff. The company recently dismissed employees in a move criticized by many as union-busting. This followed a letter from over 200 Rockstar North staff to management condemning the company’s actions. The controversy has even reached the UK Parliament, where MP Christine Jardine urged ministers to support the affected workers. A subsequent report indicated the firings were linked to internal company messages being discussed on a private Discord server shared between staff and union organizers.
(Source: EuroGamer)
