Take-Two has patented new locomotive technology in order to ensure Grand Theft Auto 6 has "highly dynamic and realistic animations".

That's according to u/Tobbelobben30, who and noted that the name Tobias Kleanthous was "mentioned in the [GTA 6] leaks". After a little sleuthing, Tobbelobben discovered that Kleanthous worked at Rockstar between 2014 and late 2021, during which he specialised in AI/gameplay and animation.

Eurogamer Newscast: How damaging are video game leaks?

Interestingly, Kleanthous is also the lead inventor and author of a patent called System and Method for Virtual Character Locomotion, which they describe on their LinkedIn profile as "regarding animated locomotion control based on some of the core technology" they "architected and implemented at Rockstar Games".

"Based on this patent, it seems like they're using a clever system," Tobbelobben30 says, after seemingly reading the patent before it was taken offline. "They've built a library of small building blocks for character movements. These blocks can be combined in various ways to create a wide range of animations.

"For instance, think about a character in the game walking in the rain, feeling tired, or getting injured.

This Take-Two Patent About GTA 6 Hints Towards Highly Dynamic and Realistic Animations byu/Tobbelobben30 inGTA6To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings

"Instead of designing separate animations for each of these situations, they use these building blocks to put together the character's movements naturally."

Tobbelobben30 believes this means "GTA 6 can have more diverse and lifelike animations" so that you'll see characters moving in ways that "match the weather, their energy level, and their injuries", making the game feel "more immersive".

"It's like having characters that can adapt to different situations, making the game world feel more real and thrilling," they said.

In related news, we recently learned that the teenager charged with hacking and then blackmailing a string of companies, including Uber, Nvidia, and GTA 6 developer Rockstar, was deemed unfit to stand trial.

18-year-old Arion Kurtaj – who was 17 when, as part of the Lapsus$ hacking group, they leaked dozens of assets taken from the then-unannounced Grand Theft Auto 6 – is standing trial for 12 offences, including three counts of blackmail, two counts of fraud, and six counts under the Computer Misuse Act after sending a Slack message to all Rockstar staff threatening to release the source code.