Jailed GTA 6 Leaker Hints Someone Already Has the Source Code

The infamous 2022 GTA 6 leaks saw hours of confidential gameplay footage emerge online. Countless clips featuring an in-development version of Vice City, as well as essential gameplay mechanics, did the rounds online for weeks, all due to the efforts of a hacker named Arion Kurtaj.

A member of the Lapsus$ hacking group, Kurtaj, was just 17 at the time. He had already pulled off high-profile cyberattacks on the likes of Nvidia, Uber, and Microsoft, but Rockstar remained by far his most controversial target. What’s more audacious is the fact that he breached the studio’s security using only a mobile phone and an Amazon Fire Stick hooked up to a TV.

Kurtaj’s notoriety saw him sentenced to an indefinite hospital order initially, with the hacker deemed unfit to stand trial. However, new reports have confirmed that he has since been transferred to a conventional prison. Moreover, Kurtaj has allegedly smuggled a cell phone into his jail cell, which he is using to spread rumors about GTA 6’s source code being out in the wild.

Jailed Hacker Suggests GTA 6 Source Code Could be Leaked

Details about his secret conversations were revealed by X user ‘videotechuk_,’ who shared an image of an alleged WhatsApp chat between the hacker and some unknown individuals.

In this chat, Kurtaj seems surprised that the GTA 6 source code hasn’t leaked yet, while mentioning that it’s out there somewhere. He put a pin on the discussion by labelling the situation as “Interesting,” before stating that he won’t comment any further. In separate chats, Kurtaj seemingly confirmed that he’s behind bars and even shared images from within a prison cell.

For those unacquainted, a game’s source code is a crucial piece of intellectual property, containing human-readable instructions written by developers that dictate every single mechanic. If this material were to leak, the affected game could see its DRM bypassed, its animations cloned, its engine secrets exposed, among a host of other consequences.

Naturally, leaks of this nature are disastrous for the publisher, and something Rockstar would be eager to avoid. In fact, if the source code were to leak, the GTA 6 release date would almost certainly be pushed back further, and the game could even be delayed indefinitely. As such, it would be in the best interests of fans and the devs alike to hope that Kurtaj’s comments are false.

With all that being said, do you think the hacker is being honest about the GTA 6 source code? Let us know in the comments below. And for more information about the upcoming title’s gameplay, story, and pre-orders, be sure to read our GTA 6 hub.