Inverse - 👾 Devastating leaks

Tuesday

Sept 20 2022

Here we go again!

On Sunday, a massive leak of more than 90 video clips gave gamers their very first — and mostly underwhelming — glimpse of Grand Theft Auto VI, perhaps the most anticipated video game of all time. Like the Loch Ness Monster, the sequel to 2013's Grand Theft Auto V, the single most lucrative piece of entertainment ever made, has been the subject of vague rumors, rampant speculation, and blurry photos for nearly a decade. Now, it's at the center of what might be the most devastating hack in industry history.

Developer Rockstar Games confirmed the veracity of the leaks via Twitter on Monday morning, noting that the team was "extremely disappointed" to have details about the game shared in this way. While the studio insists it will not have a "long-term effect" on development, industry insiders speculate that the exposure of the project's source code could result in substantial delays owing to security concerns. Developers worry it could mean their WFH days are numbered, too.

What's New

Rockstar

Gaming

The massive GTA 6 leak is an even bigger deal than you think

Despite reassurances from Rockstar Games, this leak will likely have a significant impact on the production going forward.

The GTA 6 leaker claims to have gained access to the source code of the current build of the long-awaited sequel. That could present a major security risk for players — and it isn’t an easy fix.

“When code goes live, there's usually substantial obfuscation and encryption around the actual code that runs the software. Peeling back the layers to see how games and software works from that entry point is relatively difficult to do,” explains a game developer who goes by the handle GrunkleGrok on Twitter.

“The source code is a different matter. If you can see every line of code, every API and Database queries, how the code interacts line by line, how the CHEAT ENGINE detects people attempting to exploit, you know exactly how to get around it.”

Behold!

Science

Webb Telescope’s first Mars image reveals a troubled planet

The James Webb Space Telescope’s first images of Mars reveal a swath of the planet’s eastern hemisphere, including one of the Solar System’s largest impact craters and a lava flow from a long-extinct shield volcano. Webb captured the images with its Near InfraRed Camera, or NIRCam, instrument on Sept. 5, along with data from its Near InfraRed Spectrometer (NIRSpec).

About 4 billion years ago, something enormous slammed into the young planet Mars, leaving behind a crater 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) wide and 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) deep just south of the planet’s equator. The crater, now known as Hellas Basin, shows up in dark orange in Webb’s first image of the eastern half of Mars — a cooler splotch against the brightness of the rest of the daylit side of the planet, which glows bright yellow with radiating heat.

Take a closer look

Detox

Mind & Body

Should you take a personalized multivitamin?

Personalized beauty and wellness products are all the rage these days. For example, you can easily get personalized shampoo, skincare, and vitamins. The basis of this “personalization” is often an online questionnaire on the company’s website. Is your hair thick and curly? Are you hoping for a more hydrated fair or more volume? Is your skin dry or oily? Do you break out frequently or infrequently?

When it comes to personalized vitamins, these questions can get more nebulous. It's harder, often impossible, to know if you are deficient in a vitamin by looking in the mirror. And yet, many of us are deficient in specific vitamins and minerals and may benefit from a multivitamin that meets those needs. So are “personalized vitamins” useful?

Let's find out

Amazon

Television

The Rings of Power just took its biggest risk yet

Ever since it premiered, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has made it clear it’s not afraid to take some big risks. Its first three episodes deviate from the show’s J.R.R. Tolkien-penned source material in ways that are both interesting and confounding. Furthermore, The Rings of Power has introduced fans to a number of new, original characters, some of whom have proven to be more compelling than others.

However, in its fourth episode, The Rings of Power takes its biggest risk to date. In order to discuss the creative decision in question, we’ll need to talk a bit about what happens in Tolkien’s original books, which means…

Major Rings of Power spoilers ahead!

HBO	Television

House of the Dragon introduces its Littlefinger

Like its predecessor, House of the Dragon boasts a sprawling cast of characters. However, unlike Game of Thrones, which premiered on HBO with one of the largest ensembles in the history of television, House of the Dragon is taking its time to gradually expand and fill out its cast.

Now, with five episodes remaining in the hit show’s first season, House of the Dragon’s ensemble is poised to become much, much bigger in the coming weeks.

In its fifth and most recent episode, House of the Dragon notably took the time to formally reintroduce its viewers to one of its most surprisingly important characters. We are, of course, talking about Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham).

Learn more

Meanwhile...

This face mask hunts for viruses in the air you breathe

Brain signatures tied to appetite could reveal new treatments for depression

'House of the Dragon's wedding scene, explained

Jon Snow sequel leak reveals concerning news about the 'GoT' spinoff

Today in history: Fantasy author George R.R. Martin was born September 20, 1948.

Song of the day: "West Coast Classics," GTA V

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