According to media reports, Rockstar Games granted the wish of a terminally ill fan by allowing him to play Grand Theft Auto 6 before the official release of the game, which is currently scheduled for November. As reported by Insider Gaming, Rockstar contacted the family after a LinkedIn post shared by a family member went viral and reportedly caught the attention of Take-Two Interactive's CEO, Strauss Zelnick. The identity of the fan has not been disclosed.
Anthony Armstrong, a developer from Ubisoft Toronto, publicly shared the story last month and requested support from industry colleagues and people with relevant connections. In the post, he mentioned that a family member has been battling cancer for years, but they were recently faced with an extremely difficult prognosis. “A family member who has been fighting cancer for a long time just received the news that he has between six and twelve months to live,” Armstrong wrote. He added that this person is a huge fan of the GTA series and that there is a possibility he may not live to see the release of GTA 6. “In the best-case scenario, he would leave us in the same month the game is supposed to come out,” he stated. Armstrong also highlighted that his relative lives close to Rockstar's studio in Oakville, which is why he hoped a special, private playtest could be organized. After the post attracted significant attention, Armstrong updated it several times. First, he confirmed that the message reached Strauss Zelnick, and then in the latest update, he stated that Rockstar contacted him with great news. “For now, I can't say more than that, but heartfelt thanks to everyone,” Armstrong concluded. As a reminder, Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently scheduled for release on November 19, after several delays. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, emergency services intervened at Rockstar North, which is working on GTA 6, due to an incident in the boiler room, prompting multiple fire crews to respond. Here you can read more about that incident.
