Summary
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company ofGrand Theft Autodeveloper Rockstar Games, is suing a third-partyGTA Onlinemarketplace. The lawsuit alleges that the marketplace is selling assets, currency, and account hacks that are disrupting Take-Two Interactive’s business and causing irreparable harm toGTA Online.
InGrand Theft Auto Online, players don’t start out with much to their name, but can build up a massive criminal empire. Through a lot of time and effort, players can unlock businesses, high-difficulty heists, a slew of different varieties of vehicles, and a great deal of in-game money, as well. However, some players are reportedly utilizing third-party services to avoid themoney grind inGTA Online, and Take-Two Interactive is now closing in on one of the businesses allegedly offering these services.
Third-Party Marketplace Could Hurt Take-Two Interactive’s Bottom Line
In addition to giving players an unfair advantage, sales of in-game assets, accounts, or services could undermine Take-Two Interactive’s ability to make money selling in-game currency inGTA Online.GTA Online’s Shark Cards andGTA+are the only legitimate way to purchase currency in the game. If players utilize an illegitimate third-party service to do this, Take-Two Interactive doesn’t earn anything. WhileGTAhas had no shortage of game sales over the years, generating a ton of profit in the process,GTA Onlinestill requires online infrastructure that requires money to maintain.
Fighting gold sellers, bots, and cheats has been an ongoing battle for online games for as long as they’ve existed. This isn’t the only time that PlayerAuctions has been hit with a lawsuit from a game developer or publisher, but thus far, the marketplace has remained online. Other games have faced similar problems, with the publishers behind titles likeValorantandDestiny 2suing individual cheat makersfor similar reasons.
