GTA 6 trailer leak leads to YouTube investigation

According to the official Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer leaked last year, YouTube reportedly launched an investigation into the circumstances behind the leak.

As you all probably remember, the trailer for the long-awaited next chapter in Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto saga (can we call it a saga?) leaked online before it could be officially released.

“From what I understand, YouTube has investigated two cases in the last 18 months against employees who violated their contractual agreements by accessing content on the backend. After today (and presumably SGF) (Summer Game Fest) we will see a third investigation shortly,” insider Tom Henderson wrote on Twitter on May 30.

Henderson later wrote an article on his website Insider Gaming about the two different investigations that were conducted as a direct result of leaks. While the first relates to a leak that happened to YouTuber KSI, who discovered that over $10,000 in Amazon gift cards had been redeemed before a video even went live, the second investigation was done as a direct response to the leak of the official Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer that happened in December last year.

“As far as I know, YouTube’s second investigation took place shortly after the GTA6 “It was a leak that admittedly could have just been a wild coincidence. After all, it is now common knowledge in the industry that many gaming leaks come from unlisted, scheduled, or private YouTube videos – and perhaps the investigation was already underway at the time. Nevertheless, the outcome likely resulted in disciplinary action against one or more individuals,” Henderson wrote.

This suggests that several major leakers who have appeared out of the blue over the past year all have access to YouTube’s backend, meaning all of their information comes directly from official sources they shouldn’t have access to. It will be extremely interesting to see which leakers disappear in the coming months and which ones continue to report on new games.

Photo credit: Rockstar Games

Topics: Grand Theft Auto, GTA, GTA 6