Take-Two believes releasing the information could compromise the investigation.
Take-Two is asking a US court to keep details of its latest subpoena request in the GTA VI leak investigation sealed, arguing that revealing what it already knows could tip off the alleged leakers and give them an opportunity to hide evidence.
The 28 August filing, first reported and shared by TorrentFreak, shows that Take-Two has identified another Discord user, gathered additional identifying information about a previously identified account, and narrowed down the information it is seeking from Discord. The publisher describes its investigation as "rapidly evolving and ongoing".
The latest move follows the GTA VI leaks that began circulating on 19 August, which included unconfirmed gameplay footage, a six-star Wanted system, and an alleged map of Leonida. An online group calling itself Cyberleek claimed responsibility for releasing the material.
Why does Take-Two want its latest GTA VI leak subpoena request sealed?
Unlike Take-Two's earlier subpoena request, the publisher wants details of the latest filing kept out of public view. In its motion, as reported by TorrentFreak, Take-Two argues that the document contains "highly sensitive, confidential information" about its ongoing investigation into copyright infringement and the alleged misappropriation of confidential company information.
The publisher says making those details public could reveal how far the investigation has progressed and what information it has already gathered. "Public disclosure of this information could compromise Take-Two's ongoing investigation and even tip off the alleged infringers as to the nature and progress of Take-Two's investigation and information Take-Two has gathered about the infringement," the filing states.
Take-Two added that disclosure could create a "substantial risk" that those involved would "delete, destroy, or otherwise conceal evidence of their infringing activities, and/or take further steps to evade identification." The company also argues that the filing is "not subject to the presumption of public access", and that even if it were, its interest in protecting the ongoing investigation would outweigh the case for disclosure.
At the time of the filing, the court had not yet ruled on the request to keep the document sealed, and the latest subpoena had not been issued.
What is Take-Two seeking from Discord in the GTA VI leak investigation?
The latest request is narrower than Take-Two's earlier subpoena and focuses on specific Discord accounts and servers connected to the investigation. "Take-Two has identified one additional Discord user and obtained additional identifying information for a previously identified Discord user, as well as additional information concerning the community servers identified in its prior subpoena for which it now seeks more targeted information," the filing states.
Take-Two believes the additional accounts and server are involved in the same alleged infringement covered by its first request. A footnote adds that "Take-Two's investigation of the infringement at issue is rapidly evolving and ongoing", and says the latest request seeks different information from the first while providing additional clarification about one of the user IDs previously identified.
The court approved Take-Two's first Discord subpoena on 21 August, allowing the publisher to seek records connected to users and servers involved in its investigation. Take-Two had also pursued information from Microsoft, X, YouTube, and Google as it worked to identify those allegedly behind the leaks. However, it withdrew its Google subpoena request on 28 August, again saying the investigation "has been (and is) evolving rapidly as new information becomes available."
Meanwhile, Rockstar has since released its GTA VI Extended Look, officially showing almost half an hour of gameplay featuring Jason and Lucia, including robberies, car chases, nightclubs, parachuting, and the returning six-star Wanted system.
Cyberleek has also reportedly cashed out roughly US$268,000 generated through $CYBERLEEK transaction fees following the leak campaign.
