The anonymous hacker behind the GTA 6 leaks cashed out over $250,000 from a self-created Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) meme coin Thursday, hours before Rockstar’s first official gameplay reveal.

According to CoinDesk, the hacker created a token called CYBERLEEK, watermarked it onto nine days of leaked GTA 6 footage, and watched it hit a $25 million market cap before pulling the plug. 

On-chain data shows the contract owner claimed roughly $146,000 in wrapped SOL plus 15.4 million tokens in creator fees, then sold everything for about $125,000 in SOL in a single transaction. 

Dexerto put the total cash-out above $250,000, with proceeds split across four fresh wallets and at least 91 SOL routed to KuCoin.

The token now trades near $0.0097, down 46% in 24 hours, with a market cap around $7 million. Around 730 million tokens remain circulating across roughly 68,000 to 78,000 wallets.

What Rockstar Said About the Leaks

Rockstar published a statement Wednesday calling the situation “heartbreaking for the team” and asking fans to wait for the Nov. 19 release rather than letting leaked footage spoil the experience. 

The studio confirmed its extended gameplay reveal for Thursday and apologized for the delay in sharing it officially.

On the legal front, Take-Two has been moving aggressively. Federal judges granted subpoenas against Discord, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and X seeking identifying data on CyberLeek and associated accounts. 

On-chain investigators note the funding trail runs back to a KYC-verified KuCoin account, which may ultimately help authorities identify whoever is behind the persona.

Why the Stakes Are So High for Take-Two?

According to CyberScoop, analysts project GTA 6 will generate between $3.3 billion and $5.2 billion in global sales by the end of its launch week in November. 

Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO) has guided to $8 billion to $8.2 billion in fiscal 2027 net bookings largely on the back of the title, with up to 45 million copies expected in the launch window. 

For context, GTA V has sold roughly 230 million lifetime units and earned Take-Two over $11 billion since 2013.

Security researchers told CyberScoop the attack follows a familiar playbook, using daily drip leaks to maximize pressure while the memecoin turned audience attention into cash throughout the campaign.

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