Goat Simulator 3 ad gets taken down for using the leaked GTA 6 footage
Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive sent a DMCA takedown notice.
Goat Simulator 3 developers Coffee Stain North posted a witty ad for their game, which did not go down well with Take-Two Interactive. The parent company of Rockstar Games issued a swift DMCA takedown notice after the ad showed an edited clip from the GTA 6 gameplay leak.
According to Eurogamer, the Goat Simulator 3 ad introduced one of the game’s many NPC in a fake interview. The advertisement showed the NPC being interviewed and bragging about his skills and ragdoll physics. NPC Shaun then referred to another game he’s currently working on. He said, "I've other stuff in the pipeline, other, big game worlds. You can actually see me in some footage that was leaked a couple months ago."
NEWS: Take-Two issued a takedown notice against the Goat Simulator video, amid to a cool marketing video which showed a edited snippet of the next GTA title from the leaks back in September. pic.twitter.com/ZcLP0uXIwk
— Ben (@videotech_) December 20, 2022
Then NPC Shawn was seen edited onto one of the leaked GTA 6 gameplay clips. The Goat Simulator’s page responded with a tweet featuring Ralph Wiggum, a Simpsons character saying, “*Chuckles*, I’m in danger”. Both the advert and this tweeted reply are now deleted.
Video has been removed from all the social media platforms
Due to copyright claims, the advertisement has been removed from all video platforms. Now, in the place of the video, a message appears saying, “This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner”.
Take-Two, Rockstar's parent company, took this advertisement seriously, issuing a Digital Millennium Copyright Act to Goat Simulator 3 developer Coffee Stain North. The ad was quickly removed after it was published. Take-Two was rigid about removing the advertisement from the internet. The advertisement had approximately 10,000 views before it was removed. However, it is unclear whether Take-Two will pursue legal action.
Fans have been continuously expressing their thoughts on the incident on social media platforms.
Very clever marketing tactic here.
— 𝔑𝔞𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫 (@TheNathanNS) December 20, 2022
Already got the GTA fans talking about it, and if Take Two take action, it'll make headlines like "GTA publisher strike Goat Simulator" generating even more free advertising.
Well played. https://t.co/eJFzzPVUWj
There was a massive GTA 6 leak in September by a 17-year-old anonymous hacker. The hacker leaked around 90 clips of GTA 6, a game that is currently in the early stages of development. It is one of the largest leaks in gaming history. However, Rockstar Games and Take-Two assured fans that the leak would have no effect on the game's development.