Take-Two Interactive has informed United States federal courts that its ongoing investigation into the high-profile leaks surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI is "rapidly evolving." Hot on the heels of a promotional Netflix preview showcasing the highly anticipated game, the gaming giant has filed a fresh Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) subpoena request. This time, however, the company is asking the federal court to keep the filing sealed to prevent tipping off the alleged infringers. Simultaneously, Take-Two has officially dropped its previous DMCA subpoena against YouTube, determining that the platform data is no longer necessary for its current legal strategy.
The unfolding legal battle began just a few weeks ago when an individual operating under the alias "Cyberleek" began circulating unauthorized gameplay footage from Grand Theft Auto VI. The leaks surfaced months ahead of the blockbuster game’s scheduled November launch, triggering immediate and aggressive countermeasures from Take-Two Interactive. The publisher responded with a sweeping wave of copyright takedown notices alongside a cluster of DMCA subpoenas filed in federal court, aiming to unmask the individuals responsible for distributing the confidential material.
DMCA subpoenas serve as a specialized legal mechanism under United States copyright law, allowing rightsholders to compel third-party platforms to hand over identifying user information without the immediate requirement of filing a formal, named lawsuit. In this particular case, Take-Two utilized the tool for a broad initial sweep, targeting thousands of individual accounts across various online spaces, including Discord servers.
As previously reported, that legal net quickly expanded beyond messaging platforms to encompass corporate tech giants such as Microsoft, X (formerly Twitter), and Google’s video-sharing platform, YouTube. Recent court filings indicate that this investigative net is continuing to tighten and shift as new digital footprints emerge.
On Friday, just a day after Rockstar Games streamed an extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI on Netflix, legal representatives for Take-Two returned to federal court. The company submitted a request for yet another subpoena targeting Discord. However, unlike the initial public filing, Take-Two formally requested that the specific details of this new demand be kept entirely out of public view.
A Sealed Second Discord Subpoena
Take-Two’s initial DMCA subpoena request was entirely public, allowing media outlets and digital sleuths to examine the demands and identify the specific community servers named in the documents. Among those publicly listed was a Discord server tied to prominent content creator DarkViperAU.
That initial request remains active. According to statements submitted by Take-Two, the first subpoena was formally issued on August 21 and promptly served on Discord, although standard federal court docket records did not immediately reflect the clerk’s official issuance as would typically be expected in standard proceedings.
Notably, Discord’s Vice President of Trust and Safety, Ryan Rigney, addressed the situation publicly on X on August 24. Rigney stated that the company had not yet been formally served with a subpoena from Take-Two at that moment, adding that Discord intended to carefully evaluate the legal validity and scope of the request before providing any response. Whether Discord’s public scrutiny and evaluation influenced Take-Two’s subsequent decision to seek a more targeted and concealed approach remains a subject of speculation, but the timing of events highlights the delicate nature of the corporate response.
The second subpoena requested by Take-Two at a New York federal court operates under a fundamentally different framework. Rather than publicly listing the Discord users, accounts, or servers targeted in the document, the video game publisher has petitioned the court to place the entire filing under seal. Consequently, the identities and specific targets remain entirely blacked out from public dockets.
While the exact targets are hidden, the legal motion provides broad insight into the scope of the new demand. The request centers on uncovering identifying information for one additional Discord user, gathering further data on a previously identified user, and obtaining deeper details concerning the community servers that were highlighted in the initial subpoena.
"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 court filing reads.
A "Rapidly Evolving" Investigation
According to legal filings submitted by Take-Two, the request for secrecy is necessary because filing the demand in an open forum would grant an unfair advantage to the individuals suspected of copyright infringement.
The accompanying motion to seal argues that the attached subpoena documents reveal highly sensitive and confidential information regarding an ongoing, multi-layered investigation into both copyright infringement and the unlawful misappropriation of Take-Two’s proprietary business secrets.
"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," Take-Two stated in its legal papers.
The publisher expressed a clear concern that if the targets—frequently referred to in the plural—were made aware of the specific data points collected by investigators, they might actively destroy, conceal, or alter important digital evidence before law enforcement or corporate legal teams can secure it.
Furthermore, Take-Two emphasized that its internal investigation is "rapidly evolving and ongoing." This fluid operational environment is cited as the primary reason why the second subpoena seeks distinctly different information compared to the initial public document filed weeks prior.
As matters stand, the new demands remain shielded from public view while awaiting judicial review. The federal court has not yet ruled on whether the sealing request will be permanently granted, and the subpoena itself has not formally been issued to the platform.
YouTube Subpoena Formally Dropped
While the Discord investigation deepens under a veil of secrecy, Take-Two has taken the opposite approach regarding its separate legal pursuit involving Google and YouTube. The same "rapidly evolving" framing was utilized in a follow-up concerning a YouTube subpoena, which ultimately led to the complete withdrawal of that specific request.
Previously, Take-Two had petitioned the court to compel Google to reveal the identities behind three distinct YouTube personas tied to the distribution of leaked video footage: CyberLeeks, Surfer24k, and CyberLeek_ar_io.
Initial attempts hit a procedural roadblock when U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan declined to immediately sign off on the subpoena without receiving further documentation explaining how the specific targets were directly linked to the leaked video content. While Take-Two subsequently provided additional background details to satisfy the court’s inquiries, the publisher ultimately decided to abandon the pursuit altogether, citing the shifting landscape of their investigation.
"Take-Two has determined it no longer needs the particular information requested. Thus, Take-Two respectfully withdraws its subpoena request," the company informed the court in its formal withdrawal notice.
Although Take-Two has preserved its legal right to return to Google with a fresh, revised request at a later date if circumstances change, the YouTube subpoena is entirely off the table for now. Attention and resources have instead pivoted fully toward the Discord demands, leaving observers to watch whether the sealed federal court filings will successfully lead the publisher to the sources behind the Grand Theft Auto VI leaks.
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