Take-Two Files Federal Subpoenas Against Microsoft and Discord to Unmask GTA 6 Leaker Cyberleek

Take-Two is no longer just chasing GTA 6 leak clips around the internet with copyright strikes and DMCA takedowns. The company has taken this into federal court, filing subpoenas seeking information from Microsoft and Discord in an attempt to identify the person, or possibly the group, behind the leaks tied to the account known as Cyberleek.

Given the specific information Take-Two is requesting, "I don't think the people responsible can keep treating this like some harmless internet game or their cash grab that they're doing."

Cyberleek Keeps Posting, Including Footage of Bullets Spelling Out "Leak"

After going quiet for around 24 hours, Cyberleek returned with more alleged GTA 6 gameplay, including another look at vehicles, a supercar, and Vice City. The clips suggest this person has access to more than a handful of stolen videos. A couple of hours before this update, the account also posted what looks like video number six, showing the character Jason driving a supercar.

One of the most concerning pieces of footage showed Jason inside what's presented as a playable build, firing bullets into a wall to spell out "leak," seemingly designed to prove the footage wasn't recycled from someone else's material and that they could actually control the game with a full build.

Caution is needed here. We don't know precisely how recent the build is, where it came from, or whether Cyberleek personally possesses it. Some of the circulating footage has reportedly been identified as material from an older 2023 build, so nobody should judge final graphics, traffic density, or polish based on what's been shown, "that'd be silly." If this group really can access and operate a playable development build, including cutscenes or the ending of the game, that would explain why Take-Two's response is escalating.

What Take-Two Is Demanding From Microsoft and Discord

According to multiple reports, Take-Two filed the subpoenas in the Southern District of New York on August 20. The company is seeking records from Microsoft and Discord tied to connected accounts, servers, and communications allegedly involved in posting or distributing the leaked material.

Take-Two reportedly wants Microsoft to provide internal business and investigative records relating to the leaker's identity, along with enough information to potentially identify the users or entities involved. The Discord request is reportedly even broader, seeking account IDs, registration emails, phone numbers, recent login IP addresses, linked Google or Xbox accounts, device identifiers, and potentially relevant OneDrive content.

Microsoft and Discord have reportedly been given until September 4 to produce the requested records. This is no longer someone at Rockstar repeatedly clicking the report button on X. Lawyers are now involved and attempting to follow the digital trail back to a real identity.

A Subpoena Is Not an Arrest, but Combined Records Can End Anonymity

There's an important distinction here. A DMCA subpoena is not the same thing as anyone being charged with a crime. Take-Two is currently using a legal process to request information that could identify an alleged copyright infringer. We don't yet know whether Microsoft or Discord will turn anything over, whether they'll object to parts of it, or whether the records will lead directly to the person responsible.

Still, this is huge. Anonymous internet accounts can feel untouchable because all the public sees is a username and an avatar, and the dopamine and attention that comes with that can blind someone to what's actually going to happen in real life, something I've "seen this a lot over my YouTube career." Somewhere in an account's history there may be an email address, an IP history, a phone number, or an Xbox connection they forgot to hide, and once information from several services is combined, anonymity can fall apart quickly.

Innocent Bystanders Shouldn't Be Accused Without Proof

This is also why people need to stop randomly accusing creators or other internet users of being involved. There has been speculation attaching real names to this with no proof, with some people pointing toward anyone who reposted a clip or joined a server or publicly discussed the leaks. "That's just irresponsible." Sharing a server with somebody does not make someone a hacker, and talking about leak material does not mean they stole the build.

The scope of the reported Discord request makes that important, since Take-Two is reportedly examining accounts that communicated in specific servers during that period. That could produce a lot of names belonging to a lot of people who had nothing to do with the breach. The legal process is supposed to help separate the person who obtained or distributed the copyrighted material from everybody else who was just standing close.

Cyberleek Frames the Leaks as Protest While Promoting a Memecoin

Cyberleek's public presentation makes this whole situation stranger. The account has framed the leaks as a kind of protest against anti-consumer practices, making demands involving digital pre-orders and offline access, a true apology from Take-Two and Rockstar, and game preservation, which is a legitimate concern.

At the same time, they're using the attention to promote a cryptocurrency memecoin, which makes the entire thing look like a cash grab, driving attention and money toward themselves off the biggest game in the world. Even the Stop Killing Games movement publicly distanced itself from the leak, stating that using illegal methods to make its point was unacceptable.

If investigators believe somebody is financially benefiting from distributing stolen copyrighted material, that's going to get bad, and "I'm talking bad." That doesn't automatically create a specific criminal charge, but when money is involved across state lines or countries, Take-Two has every reason to take this seriously.

The Timing Threatens Rockstar's Reveal and the Netflix Partnership

GTA 6 isn't merely another game on the calendar, it's the game of the century. There's a comparison point here from the 2022 breach, when people looked at unfinished animation and missing textures and it hurt perception, and that same tactic is likely to be used against this leak too.

The timing makes it worse given Rockstar's reported involvement with Netflix, and it's unclear how Netflix is viewing this given the partnership, even though the leaked material is old. Then again, it could be argued this is generating more hype than ever, though GTA 6 already generates its own hype regardless of any of this.

Spreading Across Platforms Won't Guarantee Cover

Whoever is behind this may believe that spreading activity across Discord, Microsoft services, Telegram, and X protects them, using Discord to coordinate, Microsoft services to store and access material, Telegram to communicate, and then posting it all to X. They may think they're foolproof, but everybody makes a mistake, especially when there are so many different ways investigators can trace information.

Take-Two is not waiting around for Cyberleek to get bored. It has the money, the attorneys, and the motivation to get to the bottom of it. The leaker may continue posting clips in the short term, but every additional upload potentially creates more evidence and gives Take-Two another reason to aggressively pursue them. "They're going to catch them. It's just a matter of time."

If they wanted Take-Two's attention, they got it. What do you think happens next?