Overenthusiastic GTA 6 fan claims to be monitoring oxygen levels, acoustic noise from the bushes at Rockstar North HQ — promises trailer 3 launch is imminent based on heightened activity

If you thought the hype around GTA 6 was already at a fever pitch, baby, you ain't seen nothing yet. A Redditor has been posting some concerning information on the /r/GTA6unmoderated/ subreddit that he believes points to the forthcoming release of a third trailer for what will likely be the largest entertainment product launch of all time. That information consists of acoustic recording data, traffic monitoring, and, incredibly, even oxygen concentrations, all allegedly collected live in person at Rockstar's HQ.

To say this is unprecedented for a video game launch would be an understatement. This person is purportedly spending a significant amount of their time literally crouched in bushes outside the Rockstar North headquarters in Edinburgh, Scotland, to record this data and observe employees coming and going from the studio, all in an attempt to predict when a new video game trailer will come out.

The poster claims that increased oxygen levels at the HQ point to executives working weekends, while spikes in acoustic and decibel levels point to increased activity. The user also posted a significant set of "Rockstar Carpark Data," which purportedly shows a significant increase in cars arriving at the HQ, including several "notable" models such as a Rolls-Royce Cullinan and a Ferrari 296 GTB.

Needless to note, this could of course all be an elaborate prank. The user has only posted on Reddit four times, and the data that they're posting really doesn't seem like it would actually correlate with anything. There's also the sheer absurdity of someone going to such lengths for this purpose. However, in comment replies, the user claims to be someone who "contracted with the government for audio surveillance" for "years". He also claims that he's "not doing anything illegal", and that he "literally just did it for [his] side hustle and [because he] was bored." He also claims to make upwards of £300,000 a year at whatever he does for work now.

(Image credit: /r/Then-Pomegranate-625)

(Image credit: /r/Then-Pomegranate-625)

(Image credit: /r/Then-Pomegranate-625)

(Image credit: /r/Then-Pomegranate-625)

Further, when a Redditor sarcastically asked, "Why not just bug the place at this point?" he replied in earnest, "I wouldn’t be able to pull it off," before admitting he doesn't want to "go the illegal route." Kudos to him for avoiding actual illegal activity, we suppose, but we're not convinced that his current surveillance operations aren't already over the line. He's supposedly already had one set of monitoring gear (pictured above) confiscated by, presumably, Rockstar's security staff, and frankly, if this is legitimate, we're surprised he hasn't had a run-in with the Police Service.

The obvious comparison to make is to the Pentagon pizza theory, which states that you can use spikes in fast food orders, especially pizza delivery, to determine when US government agencies are about to take decisive actions. As amusing as that is, this is decidedly a step further. We do have to acknowledge that the enterprising surveillant is at least not harassing employees directly or trying to enter the building, but we find it very unlikely that the poor employees trying to crunch and complete what might be the biggest video game of all time aren't aware of this cad—again, assuming this is all real and not some kind of complicated troll.

Even others in the GTA community, who are no doubt just as enthusiastic about the game, have condemned the user's behavior. After GTA6 Countdown posted about his behavior on X, GTABase posted the quote tweet above, calling the overeager fan's actions "unnecessary and dangerously obsessive." It's good to see that calmer heads are prevailing, even as many in the Reddit threads seem to be aiding and encouraging the dubious investigator, including suggesting laser listening devices.

Folks, we're excited for GTA 6, too, but as the kids say, this ain't it. Hiding in bushes, setting up microphones, monitoring cars coming and going, and monitoring oxygen levels might (or might not!) strictly be legal, but that doesn't make them reasonable or rightful things to do because you want a company to tell you more information about its upcoming game. GTA 6 is still scheduled for launch on current-generation console platforms in mid-November, which is a little over five months away from today. If you're primarily a PC gamer and you're itching to play, keep in mind that the PC release is not even formally confirmed yet, so it's time to start shopping those console deals—sooner rather than later.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.