Rockstar's Wild Security Measures to Keep GTA 6 Secrets Safe

Ever wondered just how far a game studio will go to keep its biggest secrets under wraps? For Rockstar Games, the answer is: pretty darn far. The GTA 6 developer is going to some extreme lengths to stop leaks, and it's all coming out in a Glasgow Employment Tribunal.

According to Rockstar, guarding GTA 6 is on the same level as Apple protecting the iPhone or Coca-Cola protecting its secret formula. In its opening note (via IGN), the company said, "The standards and expectations regarding information security and privacy are exponentially beyond that of most employers." That's some serious talk—but when you're sitting on one of the most anticipated games ever, maybe it's justified.

So what exactly are they doing? For starters, they had to coat their building windows with a privacy film after drones were used to spy on employees and snap photos of the inside. Yep, actual drones. Rockstar has also enforced strict no-photography rules for visitors, banned external storage devices on office premises, and restricted remote work. Plus, they have a full-time team of five investigators and a director dedicated to sniffing out potential leaks. That's a lot of resources just to keep things quiet.

But even with all that, Rockstar hasn't been immune to breaches. After a massive data breach in 2022, another wave of GTA 6 gameplay leaks hit the internet last month, right before the game's extended premiere on Netflix. Rockstar called it "heartbreaking" in a statement, adding, "It would be an understatement to say that having videos of GTA 6 gameplay leak in this way has been heartbreaking for our team, and this is obviously not how we intended for you to see the game after all this time." Ouch.

Meanwhile, the tribunal itself is tied to internal secrecy. Rockstar claims it fired 34 UK and Canada-based developers last year for leaking GTA 6 features via Discord. But the former employees, backed by the Independent Workers of Great Britain union, say they were fired because of their union ties and activities. Rockstar denies that. The ex-workers are asking fans not to boycott GTA 6, but instead to buy t-shirts to help fund their legal battle. Talk about a messy situation.

While all this unfolds, there's some positive union news across the pond: Blizzard officially signed a new agreement between its union and Microsoft earlier this week. Different company, different story, but it shows how labor discussions are evolving in the gaming industry.

So, what do you think? Are Rockstar's security measures overkill, or totally necessary for a game this huge? And will you be picking up GTA 6 when it finally drops? Let us know in the comments!