After a week without a word on the fifteen clips in circulation, Rockstar has posted a statement on Instagram, the day before the Extended Look airs on Netflix.
Photo: Rockstar Games
Sources kotaku.com · bbc.com · pcgamer.com
A week of silence, then a post on Instagram. According to Kotaku, Rockstar has finally answered the fifteen gameplay and cutscene clips that have been spreading since last week, calling them "heartbreaking for our team". It is the studio's first public word on the affair.
BBC recalls that doubts about the videos faded as evidence piled up. Copies were pulled from social networks through copyright takedown requests, and on Friday Take-Two, Rockstar's parent company, started legal proceedings in a New York court.
The statement opens with a sentence rare from this studio: "We are very sorry that everything has taken as long as it has". Rockstar apologises for how long finishing the game, sharing details and releasing official footage has taken ("nearly there!"). It also mentions spoilers: the intended experience "may now be impacted", and it hopes everyone will wait until November 19. Kotaku questions the word, saying none of the clips reveals story or missions.
On the other side, BBC notes that the group behind the leaks says it acts for players and accuses Rockstar of anti-consumer practices, such as having no disc version at launch. Yet each release invites cryptocurrency donations to the uploader, which weakens the pitch. PC Gamer says the uploader keeps promoting their own coin and that Take-Two has sent subpoenas aimed at Microsoft and Discord.
The Extended Look did air on August 27, first on Netflix and then on YouTube six hours later. On September 1, Take-Two renewed its DMCA subpoenas, this time without making the targets public.
The game remains set for November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with no PC version announced. The full calendar is on our release page.
The statement does not make the clips vanish, but it settles one point: Rockstar does not dispute what is circulating, it only asks fans to be patient. The studio is now moving on two fronts, a court case on one side and an apology on the other, just before it shows for itself what the leaks showed too early.
Sources kotaku.com · bbc.com · pcgamer.com
By Solange Rocheval · VI Countdown newsroom, OKALAM Studio