GTA 6 Fans Left Devastated After Rockstar's Original Soundtrack Plans Leak Online

Rockstar Games has a pedigree for putting tremendous effort into its games' audio presentations, frequently leaning on both licensed tracks and original compositions by esteemed artists. The developer worked with acts like rock band Health for "Max Payne 3" and synth pioneers Tangerine Dream for "Grand Theft Auto V," and it seems "Grand Theft Auto VI" aims to continue the trend of creating an ambitious soundtrack for players. 

"Grand Theft Auto VI" aims to continue along this path, with its score being handled by French electronic music duo Justice. However, if a leak from Twitter user HasItLeaked is to be believed, they were actually the second choice to handle the score. Rockstar's initial pick was apparently none other than Daft Punk. According to the supposed leak, the plan was to lure the duo out of retirement with the promise of an "unlimited budget" to make "GTA 6" their "final comeback."

"I wish I didn't hear this because I want it to happen so bad," one person wrote on Reddit. "I would have killed for Daft Punk to come back," wrote another.

But like all leaks and rumors, this one must be taken with a grain of salt, no matter how believable or compelling it may seem. As leakers go, user HasItLeaked has a reasonably strong track record, though they've also missed the mark here and there. Back in 2019, for instance, they claimed that Daft Punk was in the studio working on a new record for 2020, but that album never materialized.

Daft Punk has always been popular, but they became mainstream "nerd culture" icons after composing the acclaimed score for the film "Tron: Legacy" back in 2010. They even got a noteworthy, if subtle, tribute in "Pokémon Scarlet and Violet" a few years back, which only boosted their geek cred. They were titans of electronic music, so it's easy to imagine why Rockstar could want them to participate in "Grand Theft Auto VI." 

Justice and Daft Punk are somewhat similar in that they are both French duos specializing in electronic music. Daft Punk retired in 2021, and if anyone could have gotten Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo to reunite, it would have been Rockstar and its seemingly bottomless wallet. Alas, it was not to be. 

It's worth noting that "Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album" features a song by Travis Scott entitled "RHYNO" that's produced by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, so there's still some Daft Punk DNA in the game. Is it possible that "RHYNO" is the last remnant of the original plan to have Daft Punk craft the entire "GTA 6" musical soundscape? It's technically possible, but it could just as easily be a happy coincidence, or even the source of the rumor in the first place. In any case, it's probably best not to invest too much meaning in that one connection.

The leak has had the unfortunate side effect of feeding the narrative that Justice is a second-rate version of Daft Punk. Fans across the more speculative corners of the internet can use this rumor to suggest that since Justice was more easily obtainable, Rockstar must have "settled" for working with them.

In real life, however, music is not a competition, but an exercise in artistic expression. Sure, Daft Punk is massively popular, and their retirement has given the duo a mythical status, but Justice is also a fantastic musical act with a distinct sound all their own. If you're really into this type of music, you'll know that Justice's music is often entirely different from anything Daft Punk ever produced. 

With or without Daft Punk, "Grand Theft Auto VI" is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most ambitious pieces of art ever created. That's probably why it was delayed so many times. Audio presentation has been critical to "Grand Theft Auto" since 2002's "Vice City" created an entire radio ecosystem comprised of licensed songs from the 1980s. Based on what we've seen (or heard) from "Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album" and the radio station previews released online, "GTA 6" will proudly continue that esteemed tradition. Still, there's no harm in wondering what could have been.