Hacker claims Rockstar spent over $2 billion on GTA 6

The person who leaked GTA 6 prematurely has been a hot topic for the community for a while now. One interesting claim by this hacker is that Rockstar has spent over $2 billion on this title. There is no evidence for this claim, but if it were true, that would make GTA 6 cost way more than any other video game.

For reference, here is a list of the most expensive games ever made:

• Star Citizen: $400 million
• Cyberpunk 2077: $316 million
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: $250 million
• Destiny: $140 million
• Dead Space 2: $120 million

GTA 5 never had an official figure released, but analysts estimated that it cost somewhere between $206.5 million and $246.8 million. Hence, this new claim is bound to raise some eyebrows.

---

Rockstar Games apparently spent over $2 billion on GTA 6

Readers looking for specific evidence for this claim should check out the bottom-right image from the tweet shown above. Here is the important part:

"..but GTA 6 has been in development since 2014 with over $2b spent on it so far"

There isn't any definitive proof of this claim for the public to see. For all readers to know, this figure may be completely wrong.

The rest of this tweet is about some of teapotuberhacker's conversations with ransomware threat actors.

---

The $2 billion estimate

A generic fan-made image for the next game in the series (Image via Rockstar Universe)

Video games have gotten more expensive to make throughout the years. Hence, it wouldn't be absurd if the next Grand Theft Auto game costs significantly more to create than GTA 5. However, it's vital to look at the current figures:

• GTA 6 supposedly cost over $2 billion from 2014 to 2022
• GTA 5 supposedly cost between $206.5 million and $246.8 million from 2008 to 2013

Do note that the GTA 5 timespan listed above includes preliminary development. Full development for GTA 5 took almost three years.

Either way, GTA 6 has been in development for several years longer than its predecessor. A longer development time inevitably means that it will cost more, not to mention that modern video games cost more to make than titles from over a decade ago.

Still, for the next Grand Theft Auto game to cost more than double what Star Citizen and Cyberpunk 2077 did combined makes the $2 billion figure seem sketchy.

---

GTA 6 mega-leak

We cannot legally show any screenshots or footage here (Image via WesleyVianen, Orbitz)

All of this news is just a small portion of the massive leak that happened earlier on September 18, 2022. Plenty of new content was shown via gameplay footage, such as:

• Lucia and Jason, the two new protagonists
• Vice City
• Various new environments, including new interiors
• New features, such as a very low crouch and the ability to carry people

The hacker behind this was known as teapotuberhacker, who is described as a 17-year-old from Oxfordshire. He was arrested and charged with two separate counts of breach of bail conditions and computer misuse.

It's far too early to state what will happen to the hacker, but Rockstar assures fans that development for the next game will continue as normal.