New information has surfaced about the GTA 6 trailer leak and how a nefarious user was able to gain access to YouTube’s admin panel.
In December 2023, Rockstar Games was set to finally unveil the first official look at Grand Theft Auto 6 and had the internet waiting for what was set to be a monumental moment in gaming history.
Unfortunately, the day before the trailer was set to debut, it emerged on social media, prompting Rockstar to pull an emergency 180 and publish the trailer ahead of time.
In the time since, we’ve come to learn through Insider-Gaming’s Tom Henderson that YouTube began to investigate its employees following the leak.
As it turns out, according to crypto scam detective ZachXBT, the leaker was able to see the trailer by purchasing YouTube admin panel access.
“The GTA 6 trailer was leaked by a threat actor who goes by the alias Skenkir,” ZachXBT explained. “He purchased access to a YouTube admin panel which allowed him to view the unlisted video early.”
The GTA 6 trailer was leaked by a threat actor who goes by the alias Skenkir.He purchased access to a YouTube admin panel which allowed him to view the unlisted video early. Incident Timeline: December 4, 202320:50 UTC – Skenkir first mentions having new GTA trailer and… https://t.co/qin3hjuKhb pic.twitter.com/br1igQRLXr
— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) June 6, 2024
He then shared screenshots from a WhatsApp convo from December 4 where Skenkir revealed he had access to the trailer and planned to put “BUY $BTC” as a watermark over it.
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In another attached screenshot, Skenkir showed the admin panel where they had been able to view the GTA VI trailer.
This isn’t the first time this individual has caused problems either. ZachXBT further noted, “Skenkir also was involved in 40+ high profile SIM swaps since April 2023.”
These new revelations, while not confirmed, may be yet another reason why Rockstar has yet to announce a second GTA 6 trailer just yet. It’s also possible that the company is still figuring out the best way to unveil new footage while lowering the possibility of leaks.
GTA 6 has had quite a few things spoiled ahead of its debut, beginning with a massive hack that revealed early in-development gameplay.
Rockstar has since taken measures to counteract leaks by having its devs return to office work which the company says will also help deliver a more “polished” experience ahead of the game’s fall 2025 launch window.