After a few days of tension and threats, the hacker group ShinyHunters have published stolen data from Rockstar Games online. With the deadline passed for Rockstar Games to pay a ransom, a huge dump of files has appeared online, but none have much to do with Grand Theft Auto 6 or player data – surely inciting a sigh of relief from the developer.
The breach apparently came after ShinyHunters gained access to Rockstar’s cloud servers through a service called Anodot. Instead of revealing anything about GTA 6 (which releases later this year), the majority of the information has revealed some stunning financial figures around GTA Online.
GTA Online rakes in millions a week after a decade
No information regarding Grand Theft Auto 6 was part of the leaked information, which is likely why a Rockstar Games spokesperson seemed relatively unconcerned about the breach and the company refused to pay any ransom. The company stated, “We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach. This incident has no impact on our organization or our players.”
Ultimately, the most interesting pieces of information are regarding revenue for both GTA Online and Red Dead Online. According to the leakers, GTA Online alone makes around $10 million a week. While Red Dead Online doesn’t make quite as much as GTA Online, it does pull in the hefty total of roughly $500,000 a week. When calculated into yearly totals, that puts GTA Online at almost $500 million a year and Red Dead Online at $26.4 million a year.
Console players drive profits
Further breaking down the data, the leaks revealed that a huge majority of these profits come from PlayStation 5 players, with about $4.5 million a week for GTA Online coming from that player base alone. PC players bring in a measly $264,000, which makes Rockstar Games’ focus on a console release for GTA 6 a lot more understandable.
Since this information is all leaked, none of it will ever be confirmed by Rockstar. Given the lead up to the hacking situation – and Rockstar’s earlier response – it seems likely that the data is accurate. With these numbers in mind, it’s no surprise why Grand Theft Auto 6 has been such a priority for Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
