Take-Two Interactive has filed a petition in federal court seeking subpoenas for Discord and Microsoft to identify individuals responsible for leaking unauthorized gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto 6.

Key Points

• Take-Two Interactive filed a petition in the Southern District of New York to identify users leaking copyrighted GTA 6 content.
• The company is requesting IP logs, phone numbers, and email addresses from Discord and data from a specific GitHub repository.
• Leaked clips, which began appearing in mid-August, feature gameplay footage of the protagonist Jason and various game mechanics.
• The leakers have cited the game's digital-only release format as a primary motivation for distributing the unauthorized material.
• Discord and Microsoft have both indicated they will cooperate with valid legal requests to protect intellectual property.
• Grand Theft Auto 6 is scheduled for release on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Why it Matters

The aggressive legal pursuit highlights the extreme measures major publishers take to protect highly anticipated intellectual property from unauthorized distribution. Because the game is expected to dominate the market, these leaks threaten the carefully managed marketing strategy and release schedule established by Rockstar Games.