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New Rockstar leak reveals GTA code, canceled studio projects

Source code for GTA V was leaked, revealed now-scrapped projects like story DLC and Bully 2 were in development.

Justin Carter, Contributing Editor

December 26, 2023

1 Min Read
Michael, Franklin, and Trevor from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V.
Image via Rockstar Games.

At a Glance

  • The newest leak over at Rockstar gives some insight into the developer's attempted projects and its GTA Online focus.

Weeks after its trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 leaked, Rockstar Games has faced another leak. Code for it and Grand Theft Auto V circulated online during the holiday break.

Code for both games were obtained during Rockstar's cyberattack in 2022. Within the GTA V code were files for other Rockstar projects, such as scrapped story expansions for the decade-old game.

Other projects also include the long-dead Agent and Bully 2. It's been suggested over the years (and last month) that Bully 2 was in development, though its present status is currently unclear.

Previously, it was reported that Bully 2 was canceled in 2017 so Rockstar could prioritize GTA 6 and Red Dead Redemption II.

That Rockstar was hit with its third leak in two years isn't great, not helped by the recent leak of Rocksteady's Suicide Squad game and the hack at Insomniac Games.

But it is illuminating in that it tells us Rockstar may have gotten too caught up in GTA Online. If Bully 2 is fully dead, it means the studio didn't have the ability to set that aside for other projects.

In that sense, Naughty Dog was proven right in cancelling its multiplayer game for The Last of Us. It didn't want to be a full-time live-service studio , which Rockstar has arguably done since 2013.

About the Author

Justin Carter

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.

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