Grand Theft Auto Online Cheater Owes Take-Two $150,000

HIGHLIGHTS

 Video game publisher Take-Two has been awarded a $150,000 judgement against a Florida man who created cheat software "Elusive" for "Grand Theft Auto V"
 A complaint filed in U.S. District Court accuses Jhonny Perez of creating and selling a program called Elusive that allows players to generate unlimited currency and manipulate the game
 Take-Two claims the cheats have damaged the game's reputation and caused a significant loss in revenue

More and more gamers are realizing that cheating isn't only wrong but it can be illegal too.

Florida man Jhonny Perez creator of the Grand Theft Auto Online cheat program Elusive, that allows players to manipulate the game in their favour, has been found guilty by default by a district court in New York of copyright infringement and has been penalized with both a fine and legal costs. He is fined with $150,000 to the makers of "Grand Theft Auto V" for creating and selling cheat software for the massively popular game. He was selling it online for between $10 and $30.

Though some cheats are purely for aesthetics, others create an unfair environment for players online, and Take-Two claims this hurt the reputation of "Grand Theft Auto V." Players using Elusive could also generate unlimited currency in-game money, undermining Take-Two's ability to sell their digital currency for real-life cash.

"Grand Theft Auto V" has sold more than 100 million copies globally since 2013 and was among last year's best-sellers. The healthy online community and microtransactions help support the game's ongoing development.

Take-Two mentioned in its complaint, " Mr Perez's Elusive program creates new features and elements in 'Grand Theft Auto' which can be used to harm legitimate players, causing Take-Two to lose control over its carefully balanced plan for how it has designed the video game to be played."

Take-Two have been awarded $150,000 in damages, with Perez also ordered to pay $70,000 in legal fees.