The teenage hacker responsible for September 2022 Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 leaks won't face trial. The leaker named Arion Kurtaj, as per a report by Reuters, is part of a bigger hacking group called Lapsus$. He is being held responsible for hacking corporations like Uber, Revolut, and Rockstar Games. However, the 18-year-old has seemingly been adjudged unfit for trial after examination by psychologists.
Rockstar is one of the biggest names in the gaming industry, known for keeping their upcoming projects well under wraps before official reveals. However, they suffered an unprecedented network intrusion last year, resulting in an unofficial first look at GTA 6.
Rockstar Games hacker responsible for GTA 6 gameplay footage leaks adjudged unfit for trial
It looks like the 18-year-old hacker, named Arion Kurtaj, according to Reuters, won't be facing trial for leaking Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay footage last year. It is reported that he has been deemed mentally unfit for trial following psychological assessments.
While the teenager is also held responsible for data breaches at other well-known organizations, leaking Rockstar Games' unreleased project in September 2022 brought him directly under the public eye.
Apart from leaking gameplay footage, he also allegedly blackmailed Rockstar Games about revealing their upcoming title's source code on the internet.
Nevertheless, the Lapsus$ hacking group's teenage member was arrested quickly following this event.
Interestingly, it is implied that even with him being stated mentally unfit for trial, the leaker might be unable to walk away that easily.
Reacting to the news with a light-hearted comment, Twitter user @hackedbychexmix suggested that Rockstar hire him for security.
Before last year's GTA 6 leaks, Rockstar Games had never encountered such a perplexing situation. The gaming studio is well-known for keeping their secrets close to the chest, with any news about their upcoming games arriving only through official communication.
However, the magnitude of this leak was so huge that they had to personally acknowledge them on Twitter.
While many feared at the time that the leaks could delay the next game's release, Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar's parent company)'s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, stated that the event had not affected them business-wise.
For now, there still isn't any concrete answer regarding the next Grand Theft Auto release date, but insiders believe it could be around late 2024 to early 2025. Until then, players can enjoy the current game, receiving a GTA Online weekly update every Thursday.