For the second year in a row, the Christmas holidays have turned into unpleasant leaks for Rockstar Games. Last time it was the source code of Grand Theft Auto V, and this time it’s a selection of materials from the development of past games in the series.
Image source: Rockstar Games
The leak was created by user FrankieLiberty from GTAForums in protest against the actions of a collector under the pseudonym John Doe, who allegedly profited from the purchase and sale of stolen Rockstar materials.
According to the GTA Focal portal, the materials released by FrankieLiberty are available for free in the Internet Archive digital library. The 6 MB archive includes PDF files with design documents for old games in the series.
Image source: GTA Focal
In particular, the leak contains materials related to GTA: San Andreas, GTA: Advance for Game Boy Advance, GTA: Vice City Stories and an early (document dated May 31, 2001) version of GTA Online.
That iteration of GTA Online was based on GTA III and developed by the future Rockstar Vancouver (then Barking Dog Studios). The game was to include a character editor, a skill system, cops and crooks mechanics, and property ownership.
Image source: Rockstar Games
According to the former technical director of Rockstar North, Obbe Vermeij, the GTA III design document has been “walking” on the Internet for several years, and GTA Online of that time has not received management approval.
Meanwhile, Rockstar is preparing the next game in the series, GTA VI, for release in the fall of 2025. The first trailer was released last winter, but the studio still hasn’t shown the second one. Fans hope that this will happen on December 27th.