Kotaku: Theft

Today's Best Use of Unauthorized Video Game Footage

Mike Fahey — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST

Chinese songstress Yang Yuying couldn't have chosen a better video game to accompany a live performance of her song "I'll Be Waiting For You In The Spring" than ThatGameCompany's PlayStation Network masterpiece Flower, though she probably should have asked permission first. More »

Call of Duty Thief Escapes in Waiting Getaway Car

Brian Crecente — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST

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Is it just me or are Call of Duty thefts starting to sound more and more like missions from the game? More »

Razer Blade Prototype Theft Won't Set Back Release of Hybrid Gaming Laptop

Brian Crecente — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:30:00 EST

The theft earlier this month of two of Razer's prototype Razer Blade gaming laptops shouldn't impact the expected release of the device, the company tells Kotaku. More »

Two Prototypes of Gaming's "Deadliest Laptop" Stolen from Razer R&D Labs

Brian Crecente — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:40:00 EST

Earlier this month someone broke into Razer's San Francisco Bay Area research and development labs and made off with two prototypes for the peripheral maker's sexy gaming laptop hybrid, the Razer Blade, according to the company. More »

Here’s How We Were Introduced to GTA IV Four Years Ago

Evan Narcisse — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EDT

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So, the day is upon us where we'll finally get the first glimpse of the next entry in the storied Grand Theft Auto series. It's been more than four long years and, since then, the bittersweet saga of Niko Bellic has become a fond, distant memory for most gamers. Still, the trailer that introduced the immigrant hero hit like a lightning bolt in 2007 and, here at Kotaku, we thought it'd be worthwhile to look back at how Rockstar introduced the world to Niko Bellic. More »

Can You Spot the Mistake This Man Made While Stealing 54 Copies of Madden 12?

Mike Fahey — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:20:00 EDT

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The man in the video below almost pulled off the perfect crime, walking out of a Walmart in Fleming Island, Florida with 54 copies of Madden 12 stuffed in his pants. His only misstep? Being the man in the video below. More »

How To Turn a PlayStation 3 Theft Into a Drug Bust

Mike Fahey — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:30:00 EDT

17-year-old Bobby Lee Huffman of Hickory, North Carolina, called the police to his home on Monday after he discovered his PlayStation 3, controllers, and games had apparently been stolen. Then Bobby Lee did something incredibly stupid. More »

GameStop Policy: Open Your Games, Steal Your Codes, Sell Game Like New

Jen Schiller — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EDT

GameStop tells Gamespy.com that they have been removing the codes for free copies of the OnLive PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution from the new PC copies of the game they sell at their stores and selling the game, without the free bonus, as new. More »

Who Steals Video Games From a Physically Challenged Seven-Year-Old?

Mike Fahey — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:20:00 EDT

Seven-year-old Michael Suhy of Rochester, Pennsylvania, suffers from a form of muscular dystrophy that leaves him confined to a wheelchair. One of his only outlets is his Nintendo DS, at least until it was stolen and traded in at GameStop for cash. More »

CHiPs is Supposed to Protect Xboxes, Not Steal Them

Mike Fahey — Thu, 12 May 2011 10:40:00 EDT

Back in my day the men and women of the California Highway Patrol were a shining beacon of hope, justice, and racial diversity. The sort of organization that would never have one of their own arrested for allegedly stealing an Xbox from a Target store. More »

It Really is Time for the Wii 2, According to the People who Robbed Me this Weekend

Mike Fahey — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:20:00 EDT

There may be no clear winner in this generation's console wars, but there is definitely a clear loser, at least according to the people that broke into my apartment this weekend and stole every piece of electronic equipment they could get their hands on. More »

Suspect Compares British Shooting Spree To Grand Theft Auto

Mike Fahey — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST

Qhuram Awan was either an unwilling hostage or a willing accomplice during Raoul Moat's 2010 crime spree that left one dead and two seriously wounded. Speaking to Newcastle Crown Court, Awan recalls the event was "like a video game." More »

Is Buying Used Video Games Worse Than Stealing Them?

Mike Fahey — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:20:00 EST

This morning on Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter Wocalax ponders which is worse: Stealing video games or buying them secondhand. More »

One Does Not Simply Tunnel Into GameStop

Mike Fahey — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:20:00 EST

One does not tunnel into GameStop, unless of course they plan on robbing the place blind. Then they just need to prepare to be charged with felony burglary, just like Steven Paul Archer of Chuckey, Tennessee. More »

Police Say Man Stole Game Boy From Teen That Died On Christmas [Update]

Mike Fahey — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:20:00 EST

Seventeen-year-old Bradley David-McCombs Jr. died in a tragic car accident on Christmas Day. On Monday night his family held a viewing at the Rairigh Funeral Home in Montgomery Township, Pennsylvania. That night, someone decided to steal his Game Boy. More »

It Takes A Wizard To Steal $45,000 Worth Of Magic Cards

Mike Fahey — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST

A former Wizards of the Coast employee from Burien, Washington stands to lose a lot more than his job as King County prosecutors file felony theft charges over the theft of $45,000 worth of rare Magic: The Gathering cards. More »

Who Steals Video Game Consoles From Children With Cancer? [Update]

Mike Fahey — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:40:00 EST

While PlayStation 3 thieves busy themselves punching women in the face, an Xbox thief in North Carolina breaks into a medical center and steals multiple consoles meant for children recovering from cancer. Update: The games industry rallies! More »

Denver Thieves Steal $1,200 Worth Of Video Games

Brian Crecente — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EDT

Denver police are on the hunt for a duo of thieves who they say stole about $1,200 worth of video games from a local Ultimate Electronics store, according to 9News. More »

Man Arrested Allegedly Trying To Steal Early Copy of Game At Convention

Mike Fahey — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:20:00 EDT

Atomic Games' Xbox Live Arcade shooter Breach impressed one PAX East visitor so much he apparently attempted to steal the code, and he might have succeeded too, if not for one fatal mistake - telling the developers he was stealing it. More »

Console Thefts Up 285%

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:30:00 EST

Data released by the FBI today reveals that the number of reported thefts of video game consoles in the United States in 2009 has risen by an amazing 285% over the 2007 figures. More »

So When Is Take-Two Announcing The Next GTA?

Mike Fahey — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:40:00 EDT

During yesterday's Take-Two Interactive third quarter 2009 fiscal report conference call, chairman Strauss Zelnick laid out the company's non-strategy for announcing the next Grand Theft Auto game. More »

Hands-On With Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost And Damned

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST

The first of two planned downloadable episodes for the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost And Damned, will arrive in February, giving players a fresh look at the well-traveled Liberty City. More »

And The New York Times' Game Of The Year Is...

Mike Fahey — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:30:00 EST

New York Times games journalist supreme Seth Schiesel looks back at the games of 2008, delivering accolades both coveted and undesired, leading to his game of the year - Grand Theft Auto IV. More »

EVE Online Source Code Leaked, No Worries

Mike Fahey — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:40:00 EDT

The source code for CCP's EVE Online has been popping up on torrent trackers all over the place this week, leading to players worrying about the security of their accounts, as well as having the peace, sleep-inducing serenity of their mining efforts disturbed. CCP assures everyone that the leak will have no adverse effects on the EVE community.

"The server-side interface used by the client is carefully protected to ensure that no abusive or unwanted information is transmitted to, or from the internal EVE server systems. Nothing the EVE client can do can affect the game state, no advantage can be gained by manipulating the EVE client, no advantageous or disadvantageous information can be transmitted to other EVE users by altering the EVE client."

CCP is still mum on how the source code was accessed, so feel free to make up your own story. Mine involves romance, intrigue, and the movie guy voice saying, "The only thing hotter than their love...was her betrayal." More »

GTA IV Multiplayer: Just the Facts Please

Brian Crecente — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT

I posted a rather lengthy (too lengthy) write-up of my impressions of Grand Theft Auto IV's multiplayer gaming earlier today. If you're not up for reading through the whole thing, and getting some samples of what the play was like and whether I liked it, you can just hit the jump and read the fact sheet for the modes I played through. Think of it as a GTA multiplayer crib sheet. More »

Digg Bitch Slaps Kid For 360 Ransom

Brian Crecente — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:20:13 EDT

The Internet's got Jesse McPherson's back. More »

Should Virtual Item Loss Be Classed As Real Life Theft?

Maggie Greene — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:30:38 EST

A short and sweet and mildly thought provoking piece over at Terra Nova asks the question: "Why not qualify the taking away of virtual objects as theft?" The author speaks in reference to Dutch law specifically, but a few cases have cropped up in recent months (Shanda getting sued after forgetting to return some virtual items; the case that this post was based on, where virtual theft in Habbo Hotel led to a real life arrest) that raise the question of what do you do with virtual items when they're stolen? Slap a pair of real life cuffs on the thief's wrists? Ignore it, since the items never left the virtual space they inhabited? More »

Silent Hill PSP Demo Escapes Onto Internet

Mike Fahey — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:00:31 EDT

Something so evil. . .cannot be contained. If I were Climax CEO Karl Jeffery that is exactly how I would have responded to news that the demo for upcoming PSP title Silent Hill Origins began appearing on torrent sites this past Sunday, days before the game was due to be shown at Leipzig. Instead he reacted to the news that thousands of people were downloading the code to game with a much less interesting but probably much more effective CYA statement.

"All I can say is that code did not leak from Climax - 100 per cent guaranteed," said Jeffery.

Wii Kiosks To Be Supervised

kotaku.com — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 14:40:26 EDT

Earlier, we reported that stores like EB and Gamespot were likely to use credit card deposits to ensure no punk ass kid wandered off with the Wiimote. Now, Nintendo's weighing in on how it'll be handled. More »

Man Robs Gamestop for Xbox Core System; There Are Too Many People Named Jeff

egauger — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 19:20:10 EDT

Tipper Jeff writes in to point and snigger at a man in an unfortunate shirt who committed ghastly crimes against God and GameStop: More »

Unsubstantiated Rumor: Hellgate Source Stolen

brownlee — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 10:40:49 EDT

Gamers With Jobs is claiming that Flagship Studios servers have been hacked by a nefarious Chinese cybercriminal and the source code for Hellgate: London has been stolen. More »

Nintendo Calms Euro Gamers' Furrowed Brows

brownlee — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:40:12 EDT

In response to news that an entire truck full of DS Lites was stolen by some intrepid Hong Kong robbers, Nintendo has issued a response, assuaging flustered European gamers that the DS Lite supply has not, we repeat, not been noticeably compromised: More »

Opening 360 Blister Packs Also Opens Veins

brownlee — Thu, 25 May 2006 15:40:06 EDT

True story: I once got so aggravated by the blister packaging on a five dollar pair of headphones i'd picked up that I had a friend back his car over it. Although the tons of pressure and high velocity would have caused the brains of even George Broussard's big, fat, impenetrable head to spurt all over the payment, the blister packaging was scuffed but otherwise unscathed. More »