{"id":746031,"date":"2026-08-22T09:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T09:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/746031\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T09:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T09:44:14","slug":"microsoft-has-been-served-a-grand-theft-auto-6-court-subpoena-by-take-two-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/746031\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft has been served a &#8216;Grand Theft Auto 6&#8217; court subpoena by Take-Two (UPDATE)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"infoUpdate-log tracking-[.02em] pt-2 text-base font-normal\">UPDATE (August 21, 2026): Microsoft has responded to the subpoena, with Chief Technical Officer Scott Van Vilet stating: &#8220;We are working closely with Take-Two and Rockstar Games to support efforts to protect creative works and intellectual property.&#8221; Original article continues below. <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We are working closely with Take-Two and Rockstar Games to support efforts to protect creative works and intellectual property.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cantworkitout\/status\/2090905042014576920\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cantworkitout\/status\/2090905042014576920\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">August 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-296ba88e-9d6c-11f1-816c-ddc12f908763\">It hasn&#8217;t been a fun week if you&#8217;re working on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gta6-faq-how-to-preorder\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gta6-faq-how-to-preorder\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gta6-faq-how-to-preorder\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Grand Theft Auto 6<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>GTA is no stranger to controversy, but this year seems to have cranked it up a notch. Take-Two has thrown the rule book out of the window for traditional game launches, and it&#8217;s to be expected given the scale and hype around GTA 6. People have been waiting well over a decade for a follow up to GTA V, in what promises to be potentially the biggest entertainment launch in history.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-296ba88e-9d6c-11f1-816c-ddc12f908763-2\">Take-Two has raised the ire of long-time fans, however, partially for the price of GTA 6, but also for <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gta6-faq-how-to-preorder\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gta6-faq-how-to-preorder\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gta6-faq-how-to-preorder\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">cutting out standard features and placing them in a $100 edition.<\/a> Take-Two has also paywalled the first real <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gaming\/netflix-will-be-showing-us-more-about-gta-6-real-soon-and-no-thats-not-a-joke\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gaming\/netflix-will-be-showing-us-more-about-gta-6-real-soon-and-no-thats-not-a-joke\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gaming\/netflix-will-be-showing-us-more-about-gta-6-real-soon-and-no-thats-not-a-joke\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GTA 6 gameplay footage behind a Netflix subscription<\/a>, set for premier on August 27, 2026. Then came the hackers.<\/p>\n<p>A self-styled group known as Cyberleeks began spreading footage of GTA 6 on X and other sites last week. The leakers are drip-feeding content from the build, while taking donations in crypto currency. The leaks have knocked Take-Two&#8217;s share price down 2% over the past week, although it&#8217;s still up 6% for the year overall. Either way, the firm isn&#8217;t taking the leaks lying down.<\/p>\n<p>Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 &#8211; YouTube<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775229732_488_maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 - YouTube\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"watch-on-youtube-VQRLujxTm3c\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/VQRLujxTm3c\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/VQRLujxTm3c\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-ad2d595e-9d6e-11f1-80cf-ffaf7caec648\">Shared by <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/take-two-subpoenas-microsoft-and-discord-records-related-to-spread-of-gta-6-leaks-2000726633\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/kotaku.com\/take-two-subpoenas-microsoft-and-discord-records-related-to-spread-of-gta-6-leaks-2000726633\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\">Kotaku<\/a>, the subpeona filed in New York City in the United States, calls on Microsoft, <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/discord\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/discord\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/discord\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Discord<\/a>, Google, and others to produce evidence that could lead to the arrest of the leakers.<\/p>\n<p>            You may like<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The copyrighted material includes but is not limited to audio visual content, artwork, images, dialogue, or other creative elements. Take-Two, through its counsel of record, has submitted a sworn declaration confirming that the purpose for which the DMCA subpoena is sought is to obtain the identity of an alleged infringer or infringers, and that such information will only be used for the purpose of protecting Take-Two\u2019s rights.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All internal Microsoft business records and investigative records associated with Microsoft\u2019s internal investigation of the \u2018cyberleek\u2019 persona sufficient to identify the user(s), person(s) and\/or entity\/ies associated with that persona.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s unclear what involvement Microsoft has here directly, although the subpoena suggests Microsoft is conducting an internal investigation of its own into the leaks. There had been some rumors that the GTA 6 builds had emerged from an Xbox dev kit, although it&#8217;s unclear exactly if that&#8217;s true right now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.75%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ggCH5JePAkA7e5B9DtSoLB.jpg\" alt=\"Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer image\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ggCH5JePAkA7e5B9DtSoLB.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ggCH5JePAkA7e5B9DtSoLB.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] inline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Grand Theft Auto is arguably the most legendary video game franchise in history, owing to its penchant for setting new standards for quality, detail, and sandbox immersion. (Image credit: Rockstar Games)<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-ad2d5a44-9d6e-11f1-a158-a3239d4bef1d\">Either way, Microsoft&#8217;s vast cloud platform means that it often acts as a first layer of cyber defence for all sorts of companies and even nation states. There&#8217;s at least some potential here that the Cyberleeks group used or accessed Xbox or Microsoft services in their activities. It could be that the leaked build pings back to Microsoft&#8217;s Xbox servers, for example, either for uploading telemetry or accessing online services.<\/p>\n<p>Take-Two has also requested information from Discord and Google, and I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if they eventually subpoena the crypto exchanges Cyberleeks are using as well.<\/p>\n<p>Grand Theft Auto 6 is set for launch on November 19, 2026, exclusively on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/xbox-series-x\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/xbox-series-x\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/xbox-series-x\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Xbox Series X<\/a>|S and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/playstation-5\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/playstation-5\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/tag\/playstation-5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">PS5<\/a>. Other major games have been desperately trying to tailor their launches away from GTA 6, leaving the November launch window somewhat barren.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/windowscentral\/\" id=\"elk-296baa1e-9d6c-11f1-81a2-ad07fd864a82\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/windowscentral\/\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:29.96%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj.png\" alt=\"Click to join us on r\/WindowsCentral\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj.png\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/rX94E5y9uUKpUAhcKF7Ruj.png\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] pull-leftinline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-296baa8c-9d6c-11f1-8773-8339316b9a51\">Join us on <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/windowscentral\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/windowscentral\/\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"gaming\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Reddit at r\/WindowsCentral <\/a>to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UPDATE (August 21, 2026): Microsoft has responded to the subpoena, with Chief Technical Officer Scott Van Vilet stating:&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":746032,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[59,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-746031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-gb","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=746031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/746031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/746032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=746031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=746031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=746031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}