Is Rockstar feeding its own staff fake info to catch leakers?

This one is reported rather than confirmed, so Heat sits in the middle. The claim, circulating in coverage of Rockstar’ secrecy, is that the studio has at times planted false information within internal teams, so that if a specific detail leaks online, they can trace which group it came from. Think of it as a mole hunt, closer to a spy-agency playbook than a game studio.

Why it is believable

The context makes it plausible. GTA 6 suffered one of the biggest leaks in gaming history in September 2022, when footage from unfinished builds spread everywhere. And in late 2025, Rockstar dismissed a number of employees, citing the discussion and distribution of confidential information, a move that drew criticism from a union. A company burned that badly, protecting a product this valuable, taking hard measures to plug leaks is entirely in character.

The caveat

The specific fake-info tactic is second-hand reporting, not something Rockstar has confirmed. File it as a compelling rumour, not a fact.

Sources: reporting on Rockstar’ anti-leak measures and the 2025 dismissals, 2026.