It hasn’t been a good couple of years for video game developers and publishers regarding leaks. No matter what they try to do to protect themselves from hackers and such, the various cyber experts of the world continue to find a way to get into systems and spill all sorts of information. You all know about the hack that happened to Insomniac Games and how that affected them, and in 2022, it was Rockstar Games who was affected when a teenager hacked into their systems and revealed GTA 6 to the world via files and video footage. Needless to say, Rockstar wasn’t happy about that.
They went after the hacker, named Arion Kurtaj, who was just 18 when he hacked their systems. But that’s not the crazy part. We all know about prodigies who are just “really good” at what they do, but this kid was something else.
You see, he was part of a hacker collective that had systematically taken on some of the biggest tech groups in the business, like Uber, Nvidia, and more, and hacked into them. To the extent that when Arion was hacking Rockstar, he was already in police custody! As noted by the BBC during his sentencing, he was in police protection when he figured out how to hack into Rockstar Games using only an Amazon Fire Stick, a phone, and his television.
Yes. He really did that. And that’s why his “sentence” is to be held at a hospital prison for life. If you’re confused by that wording, we’ll make it clear. Arion has Autism, and that is possibly part of the reason he’s not just a good hacker but why he’s a driven hacker. By that, we mean that Arion said multiple times, and proven via the example that we gave, that he wanted to get back to hacking as soon as possible.
In other words, he’s almost DRIVEN to be a hacker and won’t stop even when he’s arrested, detained, or imprisoned. So, given this, he’ll be held for mental evaluation and get treatment for his “condition.” Of course, some out there think that this might be nothing more than an opportunity for certain ‘agencies’ to hire him to use his skills for their purposes, but only time will tell if that’s true.
Either way, Rockstar Games did reveal GTA 6 to the world earlier this month, and it was a big hit. They’re probably smiling knowing they won’t have to deal with this kid again.
