Rockstar Escalates The War On GTA Hacks
In an effort to dissuade further hacking in Grand Theft Auto Online, Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, have been working to strike at the source of the problem. Most recently, Take-Two has finally managed to take down LunaCheats, a website that previously hosted a large number of GTA Online hacks.
LunaCheats was one of the most popular sources for GTA Online cheats. Players who used the site would have access to the "Luna Mod Menu." From spawning various objects, to tweaking the game's physics engine, the Luna Mod Menu allowed users to essentially break the entire game. However, players who used cheats from the website will no longer be able to do so. Upon visiting the site, the user will be met with an apologetic statement from LunaCheats.
"After discussion with Take-Two Interactive, we are immediately ceasing all maintenance, development, and distribution of our cheat menu services," the statement reads. "We will also be donating our proceeds to a charity designated by Take-Two. We apologize for any and all problems our software has caused to the Grand Theft Auto Online community."
In the past, Rockstar Games has approached hacking issues in GTA Online by wiping players' accounts. A major sweep was done in August 2020, after players were found to be exploiting a glitch that allowed them to make millions of dollars in little time. Players who uploaded their experience of using this glitch found their in-game bank accounts completely cleaned out by Rockstar, sending a warning to other players who wanted to use the glitch.
Now, by severing a major source of more game-breaking cheats, Rockstar and Take-Two may be on the verge of completely eradicating the distribution of these exploits.
The closure of LunaCheats is the latest in a series of attempts from developers and publishers hoping to combat cheaters in online gaming. Riot Games and Bungie have also teamed up to take down a variety of cheat sellers. One of the largest websites that was caught in the barrage of lawsuits from the companies was Gatorcheats, which distributed gameplay hacks for profit.
While there are still communities that are dedicated to modding other games in the Grand Theft Auto series, Rockstar and Take-Two have also yet to address them. While some players are mourning the loss of the Luna Mod Menu, at the very least, a charity will benefit from this recent takedown.