The U.S. Senate Investigates Roblox

Roblox is being investigated by the U.S. Senate after the number of reported cases of child abuse doubled between 2004 and 2005. Find out the details. Also, leakers have been posting details about the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game for a week, with no end in sight. All this and more gaming news. Let’s go. 

A week of Grand Theft Auto 6 Leaks

Those interested in learning more about Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) don’t need to wait until its Netflix trailer debuts on August 27. Information has been leaking daily thanks to an entity named Cyberleek.

No one knows if Cyberleek is a person or a group, but they have been sharing videos and information about Rockstar’s upcoming title daily for about a week. High-speed driving, hyper-realistic streets, cars needing gas, traffic cameras and wanted levels are a few of the game’s aspects the hackers have posted online. 

Cyberleek says they are posting GTA 6 details online because publisher Take-Two Interactive is not selling physical versions of the game. In a manifesto published online, the group says:

Publishers sell licenses and call them purchases. They ship unfinished games and call them living services. They lock content on discs and call it DLC. They kill games and keep the money. Every year anti-consumerism tightens its grip, and every year gamers get less for what they pay.

Rockstar employees are angry and frustrated. The Stop Killing Games movement calls Cyberleek’s actions “unacceptable.” Take-Two reportedly lost $2.8 billion in market cap due to the leaks, and has subpoenaed Microsoft and Discord to try and determine the criminal’s identity. Needless to say, nothing about GTA 6’s launch is normal. 

On a related note, some U.S. Army members are being offered time off to play GTA 6 if they reenlist. At least 20 military members have taken the government up on their offer.

Roblox is under investigation

The U.S. Senate is investigating the gaming platform Roblox after 65,381 instances of suspected child abuse were reported in 2025. 

In a letter sent to Roblox CEO David Baszucki, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) say “Roblox appears to prioritize revenue and engagement metrics over the safety and well-being of our children, and the alleged criminal activity on Roblox warrants congressional scrutiny.” The letter also says:

You trumpet Roblox as a safe digital playground for children as young as five. But the public record raises serious questions about this promise of safety. Over the past decade, police have arrested numerous individuals for committing serious acts of violence and harm against children they met via Roblox, including grooming, sexual abuse, kidnapping, rape, and even murder. Roblox is being used to trade child sexual abuse material, participate in sexually explicit (and often violent) virtual “experiences” with children, bribe and extort children into producing explicit content, and lure children into in-person meetings. It is heartbreaking. 

In a recent wrongful death lawsuit against Roblox, the company tried to get the case dismissed by arguing that a 13-year-old who died by suicide signed away her family’s right to sue because she “waved all rights” when she agreed to the terms and conditions at eight years old.

Side Quests (more stories worth reading)

💍 Musician and Magic: The Gathering player Post Malone actually used The One Ring card he paid $2 million for in an game. 

⛔️ FromSoftware ended their network test for The Duskbloods early after most players received a “failed to log in” error.

🥊 Fighting game 2XKO announced they are officially ending development at the end of this year, although servers will remain up for the foreseeable future. 

🎴 The Pokémon Company informed customers of a possible data breach and cancelled orders of their 30th anniversary cards. 

❎ Mattel’s Lego equivalent Brick Shop is releasing a full-size 3,509-piece replica of the original Xbox. 

🦖 PlayStation is reportedly stripping out the live service component of Horizon Hunters Gathering following negative player feedback.

🇸🇦 Multiple EA employees shared their thoughts about the company recently being acquired by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. 

📊 63% of physical game sales in 2026 are for Nintendo consoles, while Xbox accounted for only 4%. 

🗳️ After their spit from Microsoft, studio Double Fine says fans will be able to vote on their next game.

🪖 A new Middle Eastern tabletop gaming convention is struggling to bring in publishers thanks to the U.S.-Iran war. 

🎮 Fortnite announced a number of video game crossover characters for their next season, including Sonic, Spyro the Dragon, Mega Man and Sora from Kingdom Hearts. 

💿 PlayStation and Xbox physical versions of Control Resonant were delayed nearly a month, while the digital version will still ship on the original release date. 

😯 The story for the 2003 game Star Trek: Elite Force 2 had to be rewritten after September 11, as it originally focused on a terror attack on Starfleet Academy.

🛋️ Microsoft and Ikea appear to be collaborating on Xbox-themed furniture.

👋🏽 Warren Spector, whose work includes System Shock, Deus Ex, and Thief, announced he plans to retire. 

📈 Round numbers: 007 First Light sold 4 million copies and How to Fish sold 1 million copies in two days. 

New Releases this week: 

Check out our article on 11 new games to play in August. 

8/25: 1666: Amsterdam (PC)
8/25: Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
8/27: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
8/27: Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
8/27: Star Wars Zero Company (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)

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