Rockstar parent company Take-Two has escalated its hunt for the people behind the numerous Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks from two weeks ago. The publisher has filed a request for another subpoena, though this time it’s asking the court to withhold the details from the public and keep it sealed.
The subpoena request, as reported by TorrentFreak, is the second one aimed at Discord. Take-Two previously filed subpoena requests targeting multiple companies whose products were used to store and disseminate the leaked GTA 6 footage, including Discord, Microsoft, and X. Following these filings, Discord said it had yet to be served, and that it would “evaluate the validity and scope before responding” if and when it was.
Take-Two’s tactics seem to be changing a bit, as the company is now trying to keep the public from being able to see details of the subpoena. Unlike the original public subpoenas, no one outside the court will be able to learn details of the information Take-Two is seeking this time. The company was criticised for the scope and scale of the information it requested in Discord’s initial subpoena, which targeted hundreds of thousands of users across several Discord servers where the GTA 6 leaks mainly circulated.
The new filing, made on 28th August, appears to have a more specific target in mind. “Take-Two has identified one additional Discord user and obtained additional identifying information for a previously identified Discord user, as well as additional information concerning the community services identified in its prior subpoena for which it now seeks more targeted information,” it reads.
As TorrentFreak’s report shows, the targets of the subpoena are completely redacted, likely a result of its narrower focus. It’s also possible the alarmed public reaction to the details of the original Discord subpoena played a role. Take-Two, of course, justified its request to keep it sealed as a way of preventing leakers from being tipped off.
At the time of writing, the subpoena has not yet been issued, and though the document remains sealed, a judge has yet to approve the request to keep it that way. If a judge does not grant that request, the “highly sensitive, confidential information” contained within may be available to view.
The GTA 6 leaks ceased shortly before the debut of Netflix’s extended GTA 6 gameplay showcase. It is believed the leakers used the gameplay footage as a means of inflating the value of bespoke crypto currency and have cashed out, making off with about $270,000 (~£200,000).
