An 18-year-old hacker, Arion Kurtaj, has been placed in a secure hospital indefinitely following his involvement in the leak of early development videos of Grand Theft Auto VI. According to BBC News, Kurtaj was part of the infamous cybercrime group Lapsus$ and was declared unfit for trial due to a severe autism diagnosis. Following a mental health evaluation, the jury was tasked with determining whether Kurtaj acted with criminal intent. They concluded that he was ‘highly motivated’ to engage in criminal behavior, leading to his indefinite hospital confinement until he is no longer deemed a threat.
Kurtaj was apprehended in September 2022 in connection with the hack against Rockstar Games, having pleaded not guilty to various charges related to his group’s crimes against NVIDIA and Uber. The prosecution revealed that while on bail for previous hacks, he allegedly continued his activities from a hotel room, utilizing an Amazon Firestick, a television, and a smartphone, after his laptop had been seized. During this period, he infiltrated Rockstar’s Slack group and threatened to release the GTA VI source code within 24 hours unless negotiations commenced via the Telegram app.
While it remains unclear whether Rockstar responded to his demands, the hacker subsequently leaked over 90 clips of the much-anticipated game, marking one of the most significant leaks in the gaming industry. Earlier this month, Rockstar released the first trailer for GTA VI, showcasing in-engine footage and introducing the lead characters, Lucia and Jason. The trailer achieved 62 million views within just 13 hours, prompting Kurtaj’s defense team to argue that the leaks had minimal impact on the game’s anticipated success. However, Rockstar insisted that the breach compromised thousands of development hours and demoralized the team, resulting in a reported recovery cost of $5 million. In addition to Kurtaj, a 17-year-old male, whose identity remains undisclosed, has also been convicted for his role in the cyberattack on NVIDIA and the associated cryptocurrency theft.
In another recent incident, Insomniac Games became the target of a ransomware attack, resulting in the theft of 1.67TB of sensitive data. This breach included a fully functional build of the upcoming Wolverine game, along with employee emails, personal information, presentations related to future releases, and sales figures. The gaming community has rallied together to express solidarity with the affected developers, condemning such acts that could jeopardize their safety and well-being.
Grand Theft Auto VI is slated for release on the current-generation PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X in 2025.
