With almost 65 million views already, the GTA 6 trailer has been going viral across all platforms. However, things took an unexpected turn when Rockstar chose to release it earlier than planned, in response to the trailer being leaked earlier. Sentiments over this were mixed, and users tweeted their disappointment regarding the same.
And that’s when things got a little tricky for one particular user. The Senior Gameplay Animator at Rockstar Games, Javier Altman, saw the removal of his account from X shortly after his tweet. Considering how strict Rockstar can be with regards to employees speaking about the game without the company’s consent, it wouldn’t be surprising if this was a forced takedown by the studio itself.
The Rockstar Animator Wrote About His Disappointment Regarding the Game’s Early Trailer Release
Javier has been working with Rockstar Games for three years and one month now and has an active social media presence (or, at least, used to have one). His LinkedIn profile describes a variety of work he’s done for the company, including working with different kinds of media and specializing in 2D, 3D, and cut-out character animation pipelines.
Initially, Rockstar Games planned on releasing the GTA 6 trailer much later than it actually did, in an attempt to shift audiences’ attention from the trailer being leaked during those crucial hours. In response to this, Javier expressed his disappointment through a tweet:
I was hoping to watch this for the first time tomorrow along with my fellow teammates and coworkers. I feel we deserved that moment.
At the time of writing, however, this tweet, along with his account, has been removed. Whether this was a decision by Rockstar or purely coincidental isn’t clear at the moment. However, based on experience and Rockstar’s reputation for confidentiality, it won’t be surprising to see the removal of posts (and, in this case, entire accounts) from social media.
This is in the context of any discussion around GTA 6 that’s coming from employees without Rockstar’s consent. Furthermore, the tweet coming from a senior animator at Rockstar in light of disappointment can look like a bad sign for the company, given how excited developers have been regarding the game’s official reveal.
The Last Few Days Have Been a Rollercoaster Ride for GTA 6’s Reveal
Online content that talks about GTA 6 being deleted? Alright. Coming from the employees themselves? Wait, now where have we seen that before? That’s right; not long ago, the son of Aaron Garbut was seemingly involved in a major leak that showcased GTA 6’s crucial details.
His son, along with a friend, reportedly leaked content on TikTok and even posted a chat between the two, along with a selfie with Aaron, in order to prove the post’s authenticity. The video was quickly deleted, but we’re all aware of how fast the internet can be with such things. The news and content spread like wildfire, notifying players about all they could expect from the game and the trailer.
Aaron Garbut is presently the head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, which means that the stakes here were pretty high. There’s no official word around Aaron (or his son) facing any consequences at the moment, but leaks like this one seemingly coming from Rockstars’ own employee are never a good sign.
There are two things to consider right now: the small amount of satisfaction fans may have over the first official reveal of GTA 6. This can put things into perspective and prevent further leaks. Secondly, Rockstar will take its time to release further trailers, which may inspire more hype and speculation about what we can expect to see.
As happy as content developers might be, speaking about the game clearly isn’t leading to good outcomes, which gives leakers the motivation to go ahead and do the deed themselves.
What happened with Javier’s X account is a little scary, and we’re not sure how employees at Rockstar might be feeling about voicing their opinions publicly. That being said, there’s a lot more to look forward to in light of GTA 6, regardless of the rollercoaster ride fans (and developers) have been on in the last many days and months.
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