NEW YORK, April 13, 2026, 10:14 EDT
The group responsible for hacking Rockstar Games intends to release the pilfered data online, according to VGC, which referenced the hackers’ remarks to the BBC on Monday. Rockstar, for its part, maintains the hack disclosed only limited, non-material information, adding that players and operations were unaffected.
This headache comes at an awkward time for Take-Two Interactive, headquartered in New York. Rockstar’s website still pins Nov. 19, 2026, as the launch date for Grand Theft Auto VI, a release Reuters said in February could generate billions for the company out of the gate.
So even limited breaches can hit nerves. On April 11, Hackread reported ShinyHunters pointed the finger at Anodot, the cloud analytics group, and gave an April 14 deadline. BleepingComputer followed up, saying attackers got into several Snowflake customer accounts using stolen authentication tokens—those digital keys that allow apps to communicate. Snowflake, for its part, maintained its own platform stayed untouched.
Rockstar said in a statement to Kotaku that only “a limited amount of non-material company information” was accessed during a third-party breach, adding the incident caused “no impact on our organization or our players.” The studio hasn’t specified what files were compromised or disclosed any communication with the attackers. Kotaku
Over the weekend, reports surfaced suggesting the stolen files were mostly company documents — things like financials, marketing materials, or contracts — not player passwords. Rockstar hasn’t disclosed what was actually taken, and so far there’s no public proof that player accounts were involved.
ShinyHunters has been around the block. Just last month, Reuters tied the group to a series of high-profile hacks; Telus opened a cyber probe after ShinyHunters said it was behind an incident, while Dutch telecom Odido earlier indicated it took the gang’s breach claims seriously.
Rockstar’s brush with a major leak tied to GTA VI isn’t new. Back in 2022, Take-Two acknowledged that early game footage surfaced online. A year later, in December 2023, Reuters identified Arion Kurtaj—a teenager linked to Lapsus$—as being held in a hospital with no set release after hacking Uber and Revolut, and trying to blackmail Rockstar’s parent company over Grand Theft Auto.
The stakes for GTA VI are sky-high. Joost van Dreunen at NYU’s Stern School of Business pointed out to Reuters last year that a launch during the holidays could open up more chances for console bundling. Michael Pachter from Wedbush called it simple: Take-Two “need[s] the game to be great.” CEO Strauss Zelnick, meanwhile, has made it clear he supports Rockstar taking extra time to nail its “creative vision.” Reuters
The concern is straightforward: even a minor leak might reveal marketing timelines or internal files right when Rockstar is gearing up for launch. The FBI maintains its stance against ransom payments, arguing there’s no promise the data comes back, plus it can drive future attacks. Take-Two stock added roughly 1.1% as of 9:58 a.m. EDT.
