The development of Grand Theft Auto VI faced a major security breach in 2022, but new claims from the hacker behind the incident suggest the game’s source code may still exist outside Rockstar Games. Even so, the code has not appeared online, which many see as a sign that the company’s efforts to stop further leaks are working.

According to reports shared by the X account @videotechuk_, the hacker involved in the 2022 attack, Arion Kurtaj, has recently communicated with people outside prison. Kurtaj is currently serving time in the United Kingdom for several cyber attacks, including the breach of Rockstar Games and other companies.

The report claims that Kurtaj managed to smuggle a smartphone into prison and used it to send messages through WhatsApp. In one message, he reportedly said that the Grand Theft Auto VI source code was taken during the breach and is still being held by someone outside Rockstar Games.

Interestingly, Kurtaj also said he is surprised the source code has not been leaked yet. During the 2022 attack, the hacking group known as Lapsus$ stole a large amount of data from Rockstar Games, including about 90 early development clips from Grand Theft Auto VI. Some of those clips later appeared online and quickly spread across the internet.

However, the full source code for the game was never released publicly. Since then, Rockstar Games and its parent company Take Two Interactive have taken strict steps to protect the project and stop further leaks.

Industry watchers believe some of the company’s recent decisions may be related to this effort. These include stronger internal security, a push for employees to return to office work, and internal changes aimed at reducing the risk of leaks.

Despite the hacker’s latest claim, the most important point remains that the Grand Theft Auto VI source code has not surfaced online. For now, the highly anticipated game appears to remain protected as Rockstar Games continues development.

Source: videotechuk_ on X