Take-Two filed subpoenas on August 20 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York demanding Microsoft and Discord provide user data tied to the persona "Cyberleek," with a compliance deadline of September 4, 2026. The company seeks account IDs, IP addresses, device identifiers and OneDrive content from Microsoft, and identifying data plus telemetry for members of several Discord servers from June 1, 2026 onward. The leak, posted August 18 and allegedly from a 2022–2023 development build, preceded Rockstar's Netflix preview and prompted aggressive DMCA takedowns. The case highlights tensions between copyright enforcement and perceived platform anonymity.
Take-Two Subpoenas Microsoft and Discord to Unmask GTA 6 Leaker 'Cyberleek'
Image: DeviantArt Commons
Take-Two Interactive escalated its response to recent Grand Theft Auto VI leaks on August 20, filing subpoenas in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that compel Microsoft and Discord to turn over detailed user data linked to the persona known as "Cyberleek." Both companies have until September 4, 2026 to comply. The move tests how much anonymity mainstream platforms can actually offer when a high-value intellectual property is at stake.
The filings go beyond routine DMCA takedowns. Using provisions that allow rights holders to request identifying information before a full lawsuit, Take-Two asks for broad investigative records and account-level data intended to trace the leak's origin.
What Take-Two Is Requesting
From Microsoft: account identifiers; registration and login IP addresses; phone numbers; device identifiers (including MachineGuid and Microsoft Account identifiers); and any OneDrive content referencing GTA, Rockstar, or Cyberleek.
From Discord: identifying information for users in named servers from June 1, 2026 onward; device and telemetry records that may be tied to leaked file artifacts. Servers named in the filings include CYBERLEEK, CINEMATICROCKSTAR, Surfer24k, cyberleek_west, surwest, and Ødyssey.gg.
Timeline And Context
The leaks appeared on August 18, when Cyberleek published gameplay clips and map images reportedly from a 2022–2023 development build. The material—said to show fuel consumption mechanics, stamina meters, a karma system, and updated wanted behavior—surfaced nine days before Rockstar’s scheduled Netflix "Extended Look" on August 27. Take-Two’s rapid DMCA takedowns across X, Reddit, and Streamable suggest publishers treated the footage as authentic.
Cyberleek framed the leak as a protest against a rumored "No Disc, No Peace" digital-only release for GTA VI—a claim not independently confirmed by Rockstar. Multiple reports also indicate Cyberleek traded leaked clips for cryptocurrency promotion, a financial motive that complicates the protest narrative.
Legal And Privacy Implications
Take-Two’s sworn declaration says the subpoenas’ sole purpose is to identify alleged infringers and protect its copyrights, a point summarized in reporting by outlets that cited the court filings. If Microsoft and Discord comply, the data could lead to civil suits or criminal referrals, though no such filings have publicly appeared yet.
The broader implication is stark: server membership, private files, device identifiers, and other platform records can be compelled in copyright enforcement. For users, the assumption of anonymity on major platforms may be thinner than expected.
Previous incidents, including the 2022 GTA 6 breach, prompted law enforcement involvement and appear to have informed Take-Two’s faster, more surgical response this time.
Take-Two’s subpoenas raise technical, legal, and ethical questions about platform responsibility, user privacy, and how companies balance enforcement of intellectual property against user expectations of anonymity.
Help us improve.
