A Ubisoft game developer asked the company to let his terminally ill family member playtest the game since he may not be able to when it finally releases.

WASHINGTON — Rockstar Games, the company behind the popular “Grand Theft Auto” game series, may have given a terminally ill fan the ability to play test the highly anticipated but delayed GTA VI game. 

Ubisoft Toronto game developer Anthony Armstrong took to LinkedIn in December to plead with Rockstar to let a family member playtest the game since he was given no more than a year to live. 

“He may not be around long enough to actually get to see GTA 6 launch, best case scenario he will be leaving us the same month it does,” the now deleted post said.  

Armstrong offered to sign an NDA if it was able to happen. 

He made two updates to the post before deleting it, according to Insider Gaming. A few weeks after the post, the first explained for the CEO of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., Rockstar Games’ publishing company, had reached out. 

“We are just waiting to hear from the Rockstar team to discuss this further. Thank you to everyone who has shown support, reshared, and reached out to your contacts for us,” Armstrong wrote. 

The final update said they had gotten “great news” and added thanks again, but couldn’t explain further. 

It’s unclear if the fan was able to playtest the game. Rockstar has not commented publicly. 

Popular accounts on social media highlighting Armstrong’s post got tens of thousands of likes.

Fans were supportive of Armstrong’s family member having the possibility of seeing the game. The comments were flooded with wholesome memes and people expressing jealousy. 

The sixth installment of the cult-classic video game series, originally set to come out in fall 2025 but delayed to May 2026, is now set to release Nov. 19.

If released when currently planned, the game would be available nearly three years after the trailer debuted in December 2023. 

“We want to thank you again for your patience and support. While the wait is a little longer, we are incredibly excited for players to experience the sprawling state of Leonida and a return to modern day Vice City,” Rockstar Games had said in a statement announcing the delay. 

The first Grand Theft Auto hit store shelves back in 1997. Its soaring popularity lead to multiple sequels over the years — with much anticipation (and sometimes long waits) between each installment. Grand Theft Auto VI will arrive just over 13 years after Grand Theft Auto V’s 2013 release.

Despite the game being over a decade old, tens of thousands of players are still active on GTA V servers, hitting a 24 hour peak of 84,391 users, according to Active Player. 

The latest game features main characters Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. It is set in the Miami-inspired Vice City. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Â