Rumors Claim Grand Theft Auto Is Stealing From Fortnite

A new leak concerning the upcoming next-gen edition of "Grand Theft Auto 5" has teased plenty of things for fans to be excited about. The leak included a mention of the long-awaited sequel and revealed that the announcement of that game might take some notes from other popular online games, including "Fortnite."

The leak, which was shared on Reddit but originated on 4chan, focused chiefly on rumored improvement coming with "Grand Theft Auto 5: Expanded and Enhanced." However, one line in the leak said, "'GTA Online' [is] receiving 4 large updates leading into the GTA 6 Marketing Campaign, which will take place over live events."

While live events have existed ever since Lord British was assassinated by an aggressive player in "Ultima Online" back in 1997, in recent years they have been primarily associated with games like "Fortnite." The trendy battle royale title has used in-game live events to introduce plot points, crossovers, and new characters into the universe for years now. Recent examples include the Zero Crisis Finale, which ended "Chapter 2 – Season 5" and led directly into Season 6. 

Of course, this wouldn't be the first time a battle royale borrowed ideas from "Fortnite." Here is how in-game story events have shaped the modern landscape of live service games, as well as what this leak might mean for "Grand Theft Auto 6."

The popular live events "Fortnite" has used to transition seasons and move along the story have notably also been used by one of the game's biggest competitors. "Call of Duty: Warzone" recently featured a season-ending event in which every player present turned into a zombie upon their death, only to see Verdansk get nuked after the undead had overrun the map.

If the rumors about "Grand Theft Auto Online" live events that will support marketing for the sequel turn out to be true, then it may mean that an official "GTA 6" reveal is imminent. Rockstar has confirmed that the enhanced edition of "Grand Theft Auto 5" is arriving for both PlayStation 5 and Series X|S consoles on November 11, 2021, which could place a live event announcement shortly after that. However, the leak also specifies that the live events will be delivered to "Grand Theft Auto Online" through "4 large updates," which could mean those events will start rolling out even sooner.

Unfortunately, due to the unverified nature of the leak, it is hard to make any concrete predictions. At the very least, fans can be sure that they will receive a next-gen update to "Grand Theft Auto 5" before the end of the year.