GTA 6: Rubius Accused of Being a 'Sellout' for His Video Made in Collaboration with Rockstar

Rubius visited Rockstar North and promised an exclusive GTA 6 video: some members of his community accuse him of selling out, despite his criticism of the album's ending.

Rubius visited Rockstar North's offices in Edinburgh to record an exclusive video about GTA 6, which was released on August 28 following Netflix's "Extended Look," and some members of his community have accused him of "selling out" to the company. The Spanish YouTuber has responded by assuring fans that Rockstar did not pay him anything for the video.

GTA 6 dominated the conversation again this week—and not just because of the extended trailer. Rubius was one of the few creators invited to Rockstar North’s offices in Scotland to see some of the game’s gameplay firsthand ahead of its November 19 release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The Secret Visit to Rockstar North

The visit was strictly controlled: the creators watched others play the game, had their cell phones confiscated, and signed a non-disclosure agreement that prevented them from speaking about it until after the premiere of the Extended Look on August 27. Joining Rubius were other big names such as the Australian TGG, the Brazilian Davy Jones, and the Italian Mike ShowSha, all treated as guests with restrictions—no controllers in hand.

Rubius teased the video with the promise of “never-before-seen footage and all the details,” and uploaded it on August 28 after keeping the secret for weeks—even at the cost of personal rumors sparked by his reaction to receiving the invitation. The video was part of a coordinated wave of content that Rockstar released right after the official launch.

Why They’re Calling Him a “Sellout”

The problem wasn’t the video’s content, but the context in which it arrived. Part of the community recalled that Rubius had previously criticized the disappearance of physical discs in video games, just as Rockstar confirmed that the physical edition of GTA 6 would only include a download code, with no actual disc inside the box. With PlayStation phasing out the physical format entirely in January 2028 and campaigns like #PSBlackout or the “Don’t Kill the Disc” petition surpassing 345,000 signatures, many saw a contradiction in the YouTuber promoting Rockstar right now.

Rubius’s Response

Faced with a wave of comments accusing him of hypocrisy, Rubius replied on X:

“Rockstar hasn’t paid me for this. My video will feature copyrighted music, so I won’t make any money from that either. I already criticized the physical format back then—I even made a video dedicated to it—but you probably haven’t seen it because it didn’t go viral.”

The creator went further and lashed out at social media’s tendency to fabricate narratives: “You live in an altered reality where you create your own narratives and repeat them so often that you end up believing them. Let go of my arm and go find a real problem already, for God’s sake.” He also pointed out that he had previously criticized Rockstar when it released the remastered trilogy, to make it clear that his relationship with the company is neither new nor self-serving.

Despite the controversy, Rubius didn’t hide his enthusiasm after trying the game: he even went so far as to say that GTA 6 could be among the best games in history—an opinion shared by much of the press that has already seen similar footage.

This controversy says more about the distrust toward the marketing of major releases than about the game itself, but it makes clear just how sensitive the issue of physical media remains among gamers. You can follow all the coverage in our GTA 6 news and review what’s already been confirmed about the game.

Quick Questions

Did Rockstar pay Rubius for the video?

According to Rubius himself, no. He claims he won’t make any money from the video either because it uses copyrighted music, which prevents him from monetizing it.

Why is he being accused of being a “sellout”?

Because he had previously criticized the disappearance of physical discs, and now he has collaborated with Rockstar just as the physical edition of GTA 6 includes only a download code.

Who else visited Rockstar North before the premiere?

Along with Rubius, creators such as TGG, Davy Jones, and Mike ShowSha attended, all under the same conditions of controlled access and an embargo until the Extended Look.