Cyberleek continues to leak content, but it’s almost certain that Rockstar and Take-Two will find the person responsible.
Another Grand Theft Auto VI video was leaked via Cyberleek, showing a few minutes of high-speed driving in Vice City. The video opens with Jason ditching a pickup truck and stealing a Truffade Thrax, a luxury sports car with a driver still inside. After tossing the owner out of the car, Jason speeds off. The video takes us from the Vice City airport through the busy downtown streets, onto the highway, and into an industrial area. Jason is wanted for stealing the car but isn’t caught and causes hardly any damage along the way.
He pushes his elbow through the car window, opens the door, drags the driver out onto the street, jumps into the car, and speeds off. However, it seems drivers aren’t going to let us steal their cars so easily. We see Jason struggle with the driver (the leaker probably had to press a button) before throwing him out of the car. We had already noticed the new stamina system in the original leaked video. Wrestling with drivers depletes Jason’s stamina bar, so it isn’t advisable to try this when you’re exhausted. When Jason drives off in the stolen car, an icon briefly appears in the middle of the highway: three small, interconnected circles. Jason drives past it, and we see that the HUD briefly indicates that it has detected him. Then, he immediately enters a red zone and receives two wanted stars. A highway traffic camera must have identified the stolen car. As soon as he exits the zone, the stars disappear.
When Jason gets into the stolen car, we see the fuel and RPM gauges that we had already noticed in the previously leaked footage. There is also a red needle icon. When the player stops the car for a few seconds, the icon starts flashing. It appears to be a vehicle tracking system similar to LoJack. Therefore, if we steal a car with such a device and stop moving, the police may show up even if we don’t have a wanted star. The driver speeds past numerous trucks, billboards, and road signs. Most of them are fairly tame, such as Juice Loose, Mattress Madness, and Juicy Joes. However, there’s also a truck rental company called Truck-U and a beverage delivery truck named Sitzpinkler. Sitzpinkler is slang for someone who pees while sitting down. The bus that passes by at the beginning of the video bears the number 420. In other words, the risqué company names are still there. We’re also pleased that the reflectors make it easier to see the lanes at night because they actually reflect the light from our headlights. It’s a small detail, but it goes a long way toward making the highway driving scenes feel authentic.
Cyberleek is currently being targeted by Take-Two and Rockstar, yet it continues to sell ads. According to the new “Contact” tab on its website, Cyberleek raises funds through community support and strategic partnerships. However, it does not engage in the usual ransom demands that sometimes occur in such cases. Instead, Cyberleek offers premium ad space and exclusive content opportunities. “Sending a Monero payment enables secure contact via Session messenger for deal negotiations. Options include purchasing ad placements, such as video watermarks, or requesting custom-made gameplay footage tailored to specific brands, including sexual content. All pricing, terms, and deliverables are discussed privately over Session,” the website states.
Who will accept their offer? Putting our brand name on the next leaked Grand Theft Auto VI video would be like painting a bright red target on our foreheads. We can’t imagine a faster or more effective way to make our brand toxic than by associating it with this circus. The price of the program is staggering, too. You have to pay a “donation” of 400 Monero (XMR), currently worth about $164,730. In return, you don’t receive an ad; you receive a message from Cyberleek, which presumably means the ad-buying negotiations will begin.
This is an extremely risky move on Cyberleek’s part. Leaving the door open to outside connections is a surefire way to invite trouble. Remember when Valve tried to catch the hacker who stole a pre-release copy by offering him a job? Selling these ads invites this kind of action from Take-Two and numerous U.S. law enforcement agencies. While we’re sure Cyberleek considers itself too smart to walk into a trap like this, everyone thinks that before they do.
