Fans have waited 13 years for this video game. It may already be spoiled

Fans of the mega popular video game franchise Grand Theft Auto have been waiting 13 years for a major new release. Anticipation is so high that Grand Theft Auto VI ’s official trailer landed exclusively on Netflix for six hours last week, before it was released on YouTube. It drew more than 31.1 Netflix million views over three days, making it the streamer’s most-viewed title that week.

But the end of this long wait is now in sight, with the new game scheduled to drop in November. However, regardless of how close it is, it appears some fans’ patience has already worn thin.

Last month, footage and images from what appears to be an internal build of the highly anticipated game were leaked across the internet, spoiling parts of a project more than a decade in the making.

The leaks, which have continued to appear online since mid-August, became such an issue that GTA ’s studio Rockstar Games issued an official statement shortly before the release of its extended trailer , and the game’s publisher filed subpoenas in an attempt to locate the source.

On August 18, a short clip of one of the game’s protagonists, Jason Duval, shooting a basketball was leaked online. Though only brief and lacking any major detail, bar a few user interface prompts and a new “increased focus” mechanic, it set off a wave of leaks that continued for over a week, culminating in about 17 minutes of spoiled footage.

The leaks seemingly confirmed the game’s lead as the first-ever playable female protagonist in a 3D setting. They also revealed details about the game’s world-map, which is set in a fictional Florida-like state called Leonida. Additionally, they uncovered other basic scenes, such as refuelling cars at petrol stations and visiting strip clubs, as well as new features around non-playable characters (NPCs).

A user (or users) under the name “CyberLeek” claimed to be behind the breach, which was used in part to promote a form of cryptocurrency. CyberLeek shared a list of “commandments” alongside the first leak, one of which accused Rockstar of anti-consumer practices, and demanded the studio stop selling digital pre-orders of the game. Notably, physical discs of GTA VI will not be released at launch. They also demanded full offline access and the elimination of paywalled solo player content.

”Publishers sell licences and call them purchases. They ship unfinished games and call them living services,” CyberLeek wrote on its website. “They lock content on discs and call it DLC. They kill games and keep the money.