I thought digital-only games would stop leaks, but GTA 6 just

The death of physical media means the death of games leaking early. Rockstar's decision to make GTA 6 a digitally-only release was likely driven I thought I had it all figured out, but if it's true, there's egg on both our faces.

Scammers Never Die

The latest supposed GTA 6 leaks are big ones. The social media transmissions weren't fortuitous or benign, coming instead from enthusiasts who received pre-arrival shipments from retail giant GameStop. It's not yet clear how, but a hacker group managed to get hold of alleged GTA 6 footage and share it online before stating its ransom-like terms.

Cyberleek seems to think it is doing a huge public service to gamers. It even released a manifesto that demands an end to digital pre-orders, paid DLC, and an offline playable version. It's a skewed and highly unusual attempt at vigilante justice – assuming its motive is genuine – and raises questions about the value of physical games.

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Uphill Battles

Digital-only is not the safety net or quick anti-leak fix that I thought it would be. In this case, it may have been an instigator that shows the magnitude of its unpopularity. Thieves are here to stay, and there's little a plastic CD can do to stop it.

Whether it's a crypto scam of dramatic proportions or a genuine threat to GTA 6 ahead of its Netflix preview, the GTA 6 hack sends an entirely different message compared to what happened at Insomniac. If money is not the object here, it's clear that physical games are now considered equally as valuable to some.

With Grand Theft Auto 6 on the way, it's down to the community to bring back the best and stupidest thing about GTA Online. The question remains: will Rockstar heed the call from its fans or stick to its guns?