Prominent Grand Theft Auto Online hacks outlet LunaCheats has shuttered following talks with publisher Take-Two. As one of the most popular online games going today, it's natural to expect that there will be a certain amount of cheats and hacking in GTA Online. It's also natural that Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive would do what they can to keep their gaming world secure. Despite their best efforts, players have constantly complained about malicious actors crashing servers with giant waves of spawned planes or trapping players in cages while they went about their dirty business. Those types of shenanigans can certainly be frustrating for players who just want to relax with their favorite game.
While these types of problems have been with the game since it launched, they inarguably got much worse when Grand Theft Auto V was given away for free on the Epic Games Store. Other games like Counter-Strike: GO have seen similar issues when the monetary barrier to access is taken away, and GTA Online's always-high player counts make it a much more desirable target. In the case of LunaCheats, they were even making a business selling exploits and cheats to willing customers, which may be why they were targeted for a direct shutdown.
Modders and hackers looking to grab LunaCheats' wares today were met instead with a simple message from the creators of the site. The statement claims that the creators of the site talked with Take-Two Interactive, and that was enough for them to shut down the entire site. In addition, the company will be donating the proceeds from its mod menu to a charity of Take-Two's choice. Other than that message and an apology from the mod creators, the site and the mods it once held has been wiped off the face of the Internet.
Outside of Take-Two and Rockstar's desire to rid the Internet of all mods and exploits harming the GTA Online community, the most likely reason why LunaCheats was erased in this manner was that the website was selling its mods rather than uploading them for free. Those that profit off of cheats, hacks, and emulation often draw the ire of gaming publishers quickest of all, as their legal standing is much rockier than those simply modifying a game for their own amusement. Even those who would modify the outside of a gaming console can get caught up in this kind of trouble, so it's no surprise that LunaCheats wasn't long for this world.
Mods can be a great thing for single player releases, but there are few helpful reasons to use them in online games like Grand Theft Auto Online. Not only are online multiplayer games often built around fair competition, but they're also built around economies that can't be disturbed by hackers becoming instant millionaires. It's probably impossible to shut them all down for any popular online game, but publishers will continue to be vigilant in order to keep their player bases happy and the integrity of their digital worlds intact.
Source: LunaCheats
https://ift.tt/3pmR5cC
January 26, 2021 at 05:52AM
