GTA 6 Leaker's Retrial Set for Same Month as Game Launch

Arion Kurtaj, the hacker who leaked 90 clips of unfinished GTA VI footage back in September 2022, has been released from the secure hospital where he'd been held, according to GTA BOOM. Citing BBC cyber correspondent Joe Tidy, the outlet reports doctors have now deemed him fit to stand trial, clearing the way for a criminal retrial in November — the very month GTA VI is slated to launch.

Kurtaj, a teenage member of the Lapsus$ hacking group, pulled off the breach using little more than a hotel TV, a phone, and a cheap streaming stick, all while under police protection on bail for prior offenses. He was originally ruled unfit for trial due to severe autism and detained indefinitely, with assessors citing concerns he'd return to cybercrime and reports of violent behavior in custody.

GTA BOOM frames the timing as a striking coincidence: the man who gave the world its first unauthorized look at the game returns to court just as everyone else finally gets to play it. Whatever the retrial decides, it's a reminder that the leak that once looked catastrophic never dented the game's momentum — GTA VI is reportedly heading toward record pre-orders regardless.