Following the massive leak of GTA 6 this August, Nikita Buyanov, head of Escape from Tarkov, publicly voiced support for Rockstar Games, only to face a strong backlash from the player community.
The leak stemmed from consecutive actions by the hacker group Cyberleek. Within a week, numerous gameplay recordings and details of game elements from GTA 6 were uploaded online. In response, Rockstar Games issued an official statement confirming the authenticity of the leaked content and emphasizing that a full game showcase was scheduled to take place in just a few days.
Against this backdrop, Buyanov posted on social media: "I stand with the GTA developers! Create your own masterpiece—no one will stop you! This is how history is made." However, this show of support failed to garner the expected resonance.
Players in the comments section quickly turned their criticism toward Buyanov and his studio, Battlestate Games. Many pointed out that Escape from Tarkov endured nearly a decade of prolonged testing before finally launching its full version in 2025, with long-standing issues such as poor optimization, cheating, and gameplay balance having accumulated significant player dissatisfaction. Many bluntly stated that Buyanov should prioritize addressing the entrenched problems in his own game rather than commenting on external matters.
Currently, GTA 6 is still scheduled to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2026, with no announcement yet for a PC version.