Rockstar Games, the developer behind the blockbuster Grand Theft Auto series, has been targeted by hackers for the second time in three years, though the company is minimizing the incident's significance.
Cybersecurity outlets reported the breach on Saturday after a hacking group known as ShinyHunters claimed responsibility. The group stated they infiltrated Rockstar's servers through a third-party cloud provider and threatened to release stolen data online unless a ransom was paid.
In response, a Rockstar spokesperson told gaming publication Kotaku: "We can confirm that a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed in connection with a third-party data breach. This has no impact on our organisation or our players."
ShinyHunters, described by the BBC as a prolific English-speaking cybercriminal group believed to consist of teenagers, specializes in data theft and extortion. They have previously been linked to attacks on major corporations, including a high-profile hack of ticket operator Ticketmaster. The group claims to have repeatedly breached cloud storage systems used by large companies over the past two years.
Law enforcement agencies globally advise against paying ransoms to cybercriminals, arguing it fuels illegal activity and offers no guarantee that stolen data will be deleted.
This latest incident echoes a 2023 hack where an 18-year-old British hacker, Arion Kurtaj, accessed Rockstar's systems and leaked unreleased footage of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI. That breach forced Rockstar to release the game's trailer ahead of schedule. Kurtaj, a member of the teen hacking gang Lapsus$, was subsequently given an indefinite hospital order after targeting multiple large corporations in 2022 and 2023.
The recurrence of such attacks highlights ongoing cybersecurity challenges facing major game developers, even as companies like Rockstar seek to reassure players and downplay operational impacts.