Judge Grants GTA 6 Leak Subpoenas; Xbox Pledges Cooperation

Take-Two Interactive filed federal subpoenas against Microsoft and Discord on August 20, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeking account data that could identify the person or group behind a wave of GTA 6 leaks posted under the alias "Cyberleek."

The filings invoke the DMCA's subpoena process, which lets a copyright holder demand identifying user data from a platform without first filing a full lawsuit. From Microsoft, Take-Two is seeking account IDs, registration and login IP addresses, phone numbers, linked-account connections, device identifiers, and any OneDrive content referencing GTA, Rockstar, or Cyberleek. From Discord, it's seeking identifying information for users across six named servers, plus device and telemetry records tied to the leaked files. Both companies have been given until September 4, 2026 to comply.

A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted both subpoena requests on August 21, 2026, one day after they were filed, clearing the way for Microsoft and Discord to hand over the requested records. Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet confirmed Microsoft's cooperation the same day, writing on X that "we are working closely with Take-Two and Rockstar Games to support efforts to protect creative works and intellectual property."

The leaks themselves began on August 18, when clips and images circulating under the Cyberleek name started spreading online — nine days before Rockstar's own Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look, scheduled to premiere on Netflix on August 27 at 3:00 PM ET. Reporting on the leaker's own posted manifesto describes it as a protest against practices like digital-only pre-orders and paid DLC, though multiple outlets note Cyberleek also appears to have promoted an associated cryptocurrency token alongside the leaked material — which cuts against the leak being purely a consumer-advocacy statement.

This isn't the first time Grand Theft Auto VI has leaked before Rockstar was ready. In September 2022, roughly 90 files of early development footage were stolen and posted publicly, a breach that authorities eventually traced to a member of the hacking group Lapsus$ — see the complete story so far for that history. The difference this time is Take-Two's response: rather than a public statement, the company initially went straight to federal court to try to unmask the source, a sign of how seriously it's treating leaks this close to launch.

Update, August 26: Rockstar did eventually comment directly, posting a statement to Instagram calling the leaks "heartbreaking for our team" and confirming, for the first time, that the leaked clips show genuine GTA 6 footage. See our full report on that statement. Rockstar has given no indication the Netflix premiere date or content plans have changed because of the leaks.

Sources

Published 2026-08-27

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