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Former Rockstar Director Dismisses GTA 6 Leaks As “Nothing Burger”
Most future players aren’t hunting leaked clips, says Obbe Vermeij. Though signs the hacker holds a playable build could complicate matters.
For the past week, a hacker known as Cyberleek has been drip-feeding footage from Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) onto the internet, reportedly to promote a crypto scheme and pressure Rockstar Games into protecting players’ digital rights. Parent company Take-Two is treating the breach seriously, and has launched legal proceedings against Microsoft-owned site GitHub and chat app Discord in a bid to uncover details of accounts allegedly sharing copyrighted material.
But one Rockstar veteran, Obbe Vermeij, technical director on games including GTA 4, has urged fans to relax. “Calm down everybody,” he tweeted. “The leaks are a nothing burger”.
His argument rests on how Rockstar markets its biggest franchise. The studio has kept GTA 6 under wraps “longer than other publishers” as a deliberate hype-generating strategy. In his view “all that has happened is that some footage has escaped”. Had the game already gone through a conventional campaign of gameplay trailers, the two-minute clips would reveal little.
More importantly, Vermeij argues, the audience that matters isn’t watching. “90% of future players don’t spend their time on the internet looking for video snippets,” he wrote. “They don’t have the time and don’t want spoilers. I imagine the teams are a little annoyed about it but not more than that”.
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Vermeij has seen worse. He was at Rockstar during the Hot Coffee scandal, when a sex mini-game was accidentally left inside GTA San Andreas. “It was a nightmare for management [Rockstar’s New York offices] but didn’t affect us [Rockstar North] much. The current leaks are far less consequential than [Hot Coffee] was. It looks like GTA 6 will be phenomenal and sell for the next 15 years or so. The leaks are just a tiny blip”.
There is one wrinkle. Days ago, Cyberleek posted footage implying they hold an actual playable build, which would be a much bigger problem if it were ever dumped online. Vermeij is unmoved: “it probably only runs on a devkit,” since development kits carry far more memory than consoles or standard PCs. “There probably isn’t a build in existence that would run on a retail PS5 at the moment”.
News
New Disney+ Streaming App Has Officially Launched In The UAE
The app’s recommendations now factor in what’s popular in the UAE, and a dedicated Junior Mode gives kids their own corner of Disney+.
A new Disney+ app has officially launched in the UAE, and subscribers can now keep watching their favorite titles when they travel. Disney+ says access extends across supported markets in Europe, the United States and beyond.
The app is built around a dynamic homepage and simpler navigation, with recommendations drawn from each customer’s viewing habits and what’s popular in the UAE. Content from Hulu and ESPN is now easier to find alongside Disney+’s own library, the company says. Audio and subtitles come in up to 25 languages, and supported devices get high-quality video and sound.
For families, the app includes Junior Mode, a dedicated, simplified version of Disney+ for younger viewers, built around age-appropriate shows and movies. It sits alongside existing controls such as PIN-protected profiles, customizable content ratings and account notifications when a profile is changed.
The catalog still spans Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, Hulu and FX. Returning series include Season 8 of “The Kardashians,” Season 23 of “Grey’s Anatomy” and Season 38 of “The Simpsons”. Also on the service are the second season of International Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning series “Rivals,” comedy “Only Murders in the Building,” Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Zootropolis 2” and 20th Century Studios’ “Send Help”.
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Marvel Television’s “VisionQuest” is on the way, and Disney’s live-action “Moana” is due later this autumn. Beyond Hollywood, the Turkish title “Halef” is coming to the platform alongside a lineup of Korean entertainment: Korean-Japanese romantic comedy “Merry Berry Love” is streaming now, and “The Remarried Empress” arrives November 4.
Existing subscribers will be prompted to download the new app and sign in with their current credentials, with on-screen steps covering account confirmation and profile setup. Subscriptions start at AED 49.99 per month and can be canceled at any time.
For UAE subscribers planning to travel, the update will likely be well received, but Disney has left one question open. It confirms Europe and the United States as supported markets but doesn’t yet say which others fall under and beyond.
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