Rockstar hack backfires on hackers as Take-Two Interactive share price skyrockets

After demanding Rockstar Games pay $200,000 for the stolen data, hacking group ShinyHunters released a treasure trove of financial data about the developer, revealing key insights about how much money GTA Online generates.

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The hack can be traced back to a third party service used by Rockstar's cloud platform provider, and while many would think such a hack would negatively impact the company targeted, the opposite has happened for Rockstar Games' parent company and publisher, Take-Two Interactive. The financial data revealed just how profitable GTA Online is for Take-Two and Rockstar, with the service generating as much as $8.5 million per week across all platforms.

The data, if believed, and it appears it has been by many, showcased the lucrative businesses, and even further increased the anticipation of Grand Theft Auto 6 from an investment perspective. Since the data has been made public, Take-Two's stock price has increased by around 2.6%, which has added approximately $1 billion to the company's market value. It appears investors that have seen the leaked data have felt only more confident that their investment in Take-Two, and by extension, Rockstar, will turn a profit.

ShinyHunters have seemingly done Take-Two and Rockstar a favor as they released completely positive financial data that only instilled more confidence in both companies. Funnily enough, if Take-Two was presented a deal that offered $1 billion in valuation for the price of $200,000 - I think it, along with any other company would take that deal, meaning ShinyHunters grossly undervalued their ransom for the impact it caused.

In other gaming news, there's a new God of War spinoff rumored for announcement this week.