The saga of GTA VI's security woes continues. Arion Kurtaj, the teenage hacker who famously leaked 90+ clips of GTA VI development footage in 2022, has reportedly managed to obtain a smartphone while in prison and has been discussing the stolen source code.
Background
In September 2022, Kurtaj — a member of the hacking group Lapsus$ — breached Rockstar Games' internal Slack and downloaded pre-alpha gameplay footage and source code. The massive leak was one of the biggest in gaming history.
Kurtaj was arrested, found unfit to stand trial due to autism, and sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in December 2023.
The New Threat
Reports surfaced in early 2026 that Kurtaj managed to acquire a smartphone while detained and was seen in online discussions referencing the stolen GTA VI source code. This raises concerns about:
Rockstar's Response
Take-Two Interactive has not publicly commented on the situation but is believed to be working closely with law enforcement. The company has historically been aggressive in protecting its intellectual property.
Impact on Release Date
While concerning, industry analysts believe this is unlikely to delay the November 2026 release. Rockstar has had years to mitigate the damage from the original 2022 breach, and the game's development is reportedly in its final polish phase.
What This Means for Players
For the average player, this situation shouldn't affect the GTA VI experience at launch. However, it underscores the importance of robust anti-cheat systems in GTA Online, which Rockstar has been actively improving.