As leaked gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto VI continues to surface ahead of its release, Rockstar has begun taking aggressive measures to track down the notorious hacker group, which has just found a new exclusive way to monetize leaks.
According to gaming media outlet The Game Post, CyberLeek's official page now offers "premium ad slots," allowing buyers to embed any watermark or video material in future leaked content. Users can also pay for "exclusive content customization rights" to request viewing various types of in-game footage they are most interested in, though this service comes at an extremely high price, requiring payment of over $162,000 worth of Monero cryptocurrency.
The listed price of $162,000 is already exorbitant, but this is merely the entry threshold for initiating negotiations with CyberLeek via Monero trading platforms. Whether for brand placement or custom video clips, the final transaction price will far exceed this negotiation deposit.
Although the whole affair sounds absurd, it is claimed that CyberLeek earned over $60,000 from these leaks in just the past week, while the total value of cryptocurrency advertisements embedded in all videos within their leak portfolio reached as high as $390,000. However, this amount pales in comparison to the billions of dollars in market value lost by Rockstar due to the leaks.
It's hard to imagine legitimate companies willingly risking angering Rockstar, which is fully committed to tracking down the group, by advertising through leaked content. Nevertheless, there will always be those willing to pay CyberLeek's astronomical fees. Reportedly, paying buyers can access the following services:
"Advertising placements such as watermarks"
"Exclusive in-game footage customized for specific brands (including adult content)"
"Showcase of specified gameplay content"
CyberLeek also claims that this pricing model is "not demanding ransom from publishers to stop leaks," but rather a way to profit from leaked resources while continuously releasing unreleased game materials.
With the leakers growing increasingly brazen, Rockstar's management is already under significant pressure from the leaks. Whether they can catch those behind the latest Grand Theft Auto VI leaks, and how long it will take, remains uncertain.