Someone needs to buy a firewall. The game industry, Rockstar in particular, has once again been a victim of piracy. After the big-time thefts over the last year or so, such as Half-Life 2, Doom 3 and Halo 2, one would think game companies would be on their guard. This obviously is not the case as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been stolen and is now making its presence known on the Net.

The game's cover art, manual and code are floating around various websites and are available for download to gamers of a more larcenous persuasion. This act is a rather ironic event, since the game deals with all manner of criminal behavior and crime in general.

Rockstar has released a statement today outlining their position on the matter. "The proper authorities are investigating the theft and are continuing to investigate all possible leads to ensure there is no further dissemination of our creative content." "Downloading, possession and distribution of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, including making the game available on the internet, is theft."

Rockstar then added some teeth to their statement with, "We take the theft of our intellectual property very seriously and we are and will continue to diligently and aggressively pursue this matter." "If anyone finds information on websites with links to unauthorized downloads, information, scans or videos, please contact us at piracy@rockstargames.com."

Rockstar has stated that the title will still be released for the PC and PlayStation 2 on October 26th in the U.S. and in Europe on October 29th.