The latest news of the Rockstar GTA 6 Leak, in which the hacker is extorting the firm, is well known to many gamers. Both GTA 5 and GTA 6 source codes, according to the hacker.
The video gaming business might be impacted, but what are these codes? Source Code has been a topic of discussion for casual players ever since CD Projekt Red dealt with a relatively comparable event.
Hackers stole the source code for CD Projekt Red’s games Gwent, The Witcher 3, and Cyberpunk 2077. Since then, these games’ source codes have been making their way around the internet.
The same worries regarding Rockstar and how this will influence the future are shared by fans of the Grand Theft Auto games.
So let’s talk about what source code in a video game is all about in order to comprehend what’s at stake.
What Does the Rockstar GTA 6 Leak Mean for Source Code in Video Games?
The foundation of a video game’s engine is its source code. For instance, Rockstar creates their popular games using the RAGE proprietary game engine.
Major games like GTA 4, RDR, Max Payne 3, GTA 5, RDR2, and possibly GTA 6 have utilised RAGE. Here, the fundamental laws and principles of the universe authored by programmers will constitute the source code.
They establish guidelines for the computer, instructing it on how to carry out the game’s rules. They are often simple to comprehend text files with lines of code that may be modified by a person.
According to estimates, GTA 5 contains anything from 50 million to 120 million lines of code (perhaps much more). By examining the game’s source code, a user can discover how various events, such as input, damage, and weapon change, are handled in that particular game.
Source Code lays up rules for the computer to adhere to, like moving the character forward when a specific key is pressed. Normally, source code is compiled first and then run.
You can’t retrieve the primary source code of a video game from the executable because it is created. To do that, the code must be translated into assembly language or machine language, which is challenging for a person to grasp but a great deal faster and easier for the computer to comprehend.
The code is converted into a large mess of related assembly or machine code after compilation. As a result, unless the original code is made accessible as open source or from the creators themselves, you are unable to use any of it in your own projects.
Why Is It Such a Big Deal When Video Game Source Code Is Leaked?
Anyone with access to it can investigate how the game works because it serves as the primary framework for the game. When a video game’s source code is exposed, the possibilities for hackers are practically endless. They might design untraceable cheats.
Furthermore, if the game is an online one, like Grand Theft Auto Online, hackers might just add hacks like infinite money or no damage straight in the source code, destroying the experience for everyone else.
They can add the source code for new applications they develop. Hackers may offer the game for free, and each time it is played, commands to install a specific virus may be sent out.
The cost of making a game is really high. Unofficial analyst price estimates put the cost of GTA 5 at 137 million US dollars. Many people think that because RDR2’s production costs were higher than those of GTA 5 that developers will continue in this vein and make GTA 6 one of the most expensive games ever.
A company like Rockstar that can produce a game as large as GTA 6 would experience financial losses and might not be able to keep making the games that consumers appreciate. Because of this, the company will suffer greatly if the source code is compromised.
If the disaster is bad enough, it might prevent the corporation from creating more GTA games in the future or at least limit it. Fortunately, Take-Two Interactive Software, the parent company of Rockstar, has stated that, despite the video leaks of GTA 6, game development will not be impacted and they will present the game to the public whenever it is complete.
Even though CD Projekt’s source code for games like Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and Gwent is being leaked publicly via social media, they resisted it with strength. Successfully developing new Cyberpunk 2077 patches and DLCs is CD Projekt.
Additionally, according to Steam Charts, Cyberpunk 2077 saw an increase in players of +80.50% on average, peaking at 85,555. So let’s hope that the future of the GTA series is successful.