This Sunday, September 18, Rockstar’s work on the highly anticipated sixth installment of GTA has been revealed to the world by a hacker. More than 90 gameplay videos have been posted on the networks, letting players discover the protagonists as well as the universe of future video game production.
Called the biggest leak in the history of the industry, clips of GTA VI have gone viral and sparked a wave of community solidarity with Rockstar. The latter had also allied with the company Uber, also a victim of the same hacker. The two companies had decided to bring the file to the FBI, but also to the US Department of Justice.
The case has once again changed when on September 23, the official account of the London police announced the arrest of the most wanted hacker of the moment, at least the one they think is involved in the Rockstar case. The young man was risking a lot but as his trial has just begun, he decided to plead not guilty to one of his charges.
Alleged hacker pleads not guilty
The 17-year-old living in Oxfordshire was arrested a few days ago by London police. He was charged with two counts of violating bail conditions and two counts of misusing a computer. Detectives also suspected the teenager of being one of the figures of the Lapsus$ collective, therefore among the main culprits in the Rockstar / Uber affair.
According to Eurogamerwho followed certain detectives in charge of the case including Michael O’Sullivan: “The 17-year-old, who appeared in Highbury Corner Juvenile Court on September 24, pleaded guilty to breach of bail and not guilty to computer misuse”. In short, the teenager denies having used his telephone as well as his electronic tools for the purpose of hacking.
It is important to remember that we still do not know if the young man is really guilty or not, and for that, it is necessary to wait for the court decision concerning him. According Matthey Keysa specialized journalist, more arrests are to come : “A law enforcement source says at least two other people are believed to be involved in the attack on Rockstar and Uber, and more arrests are expected”.
This is not the first time the suspect has faced justice.
The first time we heard about the supposed Rockstar hacker was in the papers of the BBC News, last March. The subject, titled “Oxford teen accused of being multi-millionaire cyber-criminal” had talked about him. The father of the 16-year-old boy (at the time) had said:
No one knows what awaits the young man. One thing is certain, the detectives in charge of the Rockstar case are determined to arrest all those responsible, and they risk a lot. Pending the progress of his trial, the accused was transferred to a detention center for minors.
It’s been a long time since the small world of video games has been stirred by a case of this magnitude. Last week, a hacker managed to break through Rockstar’s network defenses and seized 90 GTA 6 alpha gameplay videos. Here, we take stock of this crazy story.
After the earthquake that shook the video game landscape and more particularly the Rockstar Games studio, the studio decided to send a short message through social networks by taking a radical decision. We take stock with you.