Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the most highly-anticipated videogames right now. Because of its notoriety, the next installment for the popular sandbox action game franchise from Rockstar Games has become a major target for hacking and leaks. This includes a teenager who sent a message to all Rockstar staff members on the company's Slack threatening to leak GTA 6's source code. Now, that teen, who was arrested by London police for the massive GTA 6 from last year, has been deemed psychiatrically unfit to stand trial.
As Reuters reported, 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj, a teenage member of the Lapsus$ hacking group, has been accused by prosecutors of hacking Rockstar Games, the developer of the best-selling Grand Theft Auto series then threatening to leak the source code of GTA 6.
However, according to the report from Reuters, Kurtaj has been assessed by psychiatrists who have deemed him unfit to stand trial for himself, and because of this, the jury will determine whether he truly did what's being alleged in lieu of delivering a guilty or not guilty verdict.
In September 2022, Rockstar Games suffered a "network intrusion", and 90 screenshots and videos purportedly taken from a GTA 6 build leaked online. The next day, Kurtaj was arrested under suspicious of being connected to the leak and was formally charged just a few days later. Rockstar was quick to remove the leaked material, but the company wasn't able to entirely stop the leaks from spreading.
"We take leaks very seriously indeed and they disappoint all of us, it's really frustrating and upsetting to the team," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated in response to the leaks. "However as a business matter we're not affected. But as a personal matter and an emotional matter, our teams are affected."
On top of GTA 6's developer, Kurtaj is also accused of targeting companies including Nvidia, Revolut, Uber, and of blackmailing the British broadband company BT Group and demanding a $4 million ransom. He was accused alongside a 17-year-old of blackmailing mobile operator EE and BT Group between July and November 2021. Kurtaj is facing 12 charges total, including two counts of fraud, three counts of blackmail, and six charges under the U.K.'s Computer Misuse Act, relating to the alleged hacking of Nvidia and BT, which he has denied.
Rockstar Games hasn't officially announced the release date of GTA 6, but expect more updates from the developer in the near future.
