digital only was supposed to kill leaks, gta 6 didn't get the memo

Saw a GamesRadar piece today where the writer admitted they thought going digital only would finally put an end to leaks. Then GTA 6 happened and, well, that theory went out the window. The article's one-liner was something about going back to floppy discs, which gave me a chuckle.

It's funny because I remember people saying the same thing back when the first trailer dropped. No physical copies means no early shipments, no store employees sneaking discs out the back. But leaks don't need a disc. They need one person with access to a build, a screenshot, a clip. And Rockstar has a lot of people with access.

We've had concept art, map sketches, even that big gameplay leak from a while back. None of that came from a disc. It came from insiders, testers, or someone's cousin who knows a guy. Digital distribution didn't change any of that. If anything it made it easier to share stuff instantly.

The floppy disc joke is funny but also kind of true in a weird way. Back in the day you had to physically copy a floppy and mail it to a magazine. Now it's a Discord DM and it's everywhere in five minutes. The medium changed, the leak didn't.

I'm not saying Rockstar should go back to physical only. That would be insane. But the idea that digital only would solve leaks was always a bit naive. Leaks are a people problem, not a format problem. And until Rockstar locks every employee in a vault, something will always slip.

Anyway, I'm just counting down to the extended look on the 27th. Maybe that'll give us something official to talk about instead of chasing shadows.

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Source: GamesRadar+ · Curated content.