You might think that Grand Theft Auto 6 leaker Cyberleek, who is currently the target of what I’m sure is a five-alarm manhunt now being conducted by Take-Two and Rockstar, might want to step back into the shadows a bit—keep their head down and hope it all blows over, and all that. But no. In fact, they seem to be taking the opposite approach to their newfound notoriety, because they are now selling ads.
A new “contact” tab on the Cyberleek website says the leaker is “raising funds through community support and strategic partnerships.” But not through a typical ransom demand, as is sometimes seen in these sorts of things: “Instead, Cyberleek offers premium advertising space and exclusive content opportunities.”
From the website: “Sending a Monero payment enables secure contact via Session messenger for deal negotiations. Options include purchasing ad placements (such as video watermarks) or requesting custom-made gameplay footage tailored to specific brands (including sexual content). All pricing, terms, and deliverables are discussed privately over Session.”
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Credit to Cyberleek for having a pair, I guess, but this seems like a bad idea (for them) from at least a few angles. First, who’s going to take them up on the offer? Slapping your product name on the next Grand Theft Auto 6 video leak is the equivalent of painting a shiny red target on your forehead: I am not a lawyer but there is zero doubt in my mind that people who are—and especially those who are the expensive sort of lawyer that Take-Two has on speed dial, in great numbers—could find a multitude of ways to turn that into some sort of accessory culpability. I can’t imagine a faster or more effective way to turn your brand untouchably toxic than by connecting it to this gong show.
The price of the program is also astonishing. It costs a “donation” of 400 Monero XMR, which currently converts to, roughly, $164,730. That’s right, one hundred sixty-four thousand, seven-hundred thirty dollars. And for that, you get not an ad, but a message from Cyberleek, which is presumably when the ad buy negotiation actually begins.
That really makes the whole thing feel like a lark, but as the saying goes, it’s a crazy ol’ world. If even one person decides they want to give this a shot, that’s a pretty sweet payday.
On top of all that ridiculousness, this is also just a tremendously risky move for Cyberleek. Opening the door to external contact is begging for trouble. Remember when Valve tried to nail the hacker who made off with a pre-release copy by offering him a job? Selling ads is an invitation to exactly that sort of action on the part of Take-Two and/or any number of US law enforcement agencies, and while I’m sure Cyberleek thinks they’re too smart to fall for that sort of thing, that’s exactly what everyone thinks before they fall for it.
Not that I’m concerned about Cyberleek’s welfare here. If anything, I’m fascinated by the sheer brashness of a guy who’s going out of his way to rub his stuff in the face of one of the most powerful game publishers in the world, on the eve of its greatest triumph. I just feel compelled to say it as a matter of principle: This is a bad idea. But hey, if Cyberleek ends up getting busted because of it? I’m not gonna lie, it’ll be pretty funny, too.
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