GTA 6 Leak Shows There's A WhatsApp-Inspired Messaging System

WhatsApp is by far the most popular messaging app in the world, and so it's no surprise the messaging system featured in the upcoming game "Grand Theft Auto VI" appears to be based on the platform. The detail is visible in some of the 90 or so videos leaked on the GTA Forum on September 18, 2022 — a leak that also revealed the game's two main characters, improvements to the combat system, adjustable car elements, a new inventory system, and even the city in which the game is set.

It's unclear whether that's the extent of the leak, as the person who posted it — who used the handle "teapotuberhacker" — said in their post that additional content may be released in the future. This is one of the biggest leaks in video game history, one so stunning that it even prompted a gentle statement from Neil Druckmann, the director of the hit games in "The Last of Us" series.

One of the videos shows a character in a strip club, and it's that same video where we see characters messaging each other using an in-game platform called "WhatUp!" It's really not unusual to see the name used in the game, as Rockstar is known for making parodies of things that not only exist in real life, but that also permeate the culture — this is the same company that created a parody of Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg, then dispatched that character in an overly dramatic (in-game) televised event, after all.

The messaging system appears as a feed on the right side of the player's screen; alerts pop up at random times informing players when they've received a message, plus we see instances of new connections among characters in what appears to be a group chat. It's unclear the extent to which this messaging system may be used in the game, but it's another fun detail to pick out of the dozens of leaked developer clips.