One of the most anticipated video games of the year is slated for release this fall – "Grand Theft Auto 5."

A problem that arose last week, was that hackers were able to extract soundtrack and artwork files from a pre-sales version that was available for Play Station users in Europe. Sony released an apology to the game maker as hackers started sharing and piecing together the once-secret story plot points.

If you’ve played the game, or watched others play, you know it is known for having a wide-open world where players can participate in various tasks to move the story along. I personally enjoy taking different cars and driving off buildings, ramps and bridges to get what’s known as an "insane crash bonus."

This game is, clearly, made for adults.

"Regrettably, some people who downloaded the digital pre-order of Grand Theft Auto 5 through the PlayStation Store in Europe were able to access certain GTA5 assets," said Nick Caplin, the head of communications for Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe.

"We sincerely apologize to Rockstar and 'GTA' fans across the world who were exposed to the spoiler content. 'GTA 5' is one of the most highly anticipated games of the year with a very passionate following, and we're looking forward to a historic launch on Sept. 17."

This serves as a cautionary tale to those who do business in the digital space. Media files need to be safeguarded, especially if competition can quickly move to launch a product or service to steal some of your thunder.

Luckily, in the video game world, with a brand so well known, it should still perform well in sales even with the leak.

SPEAKING OF HACKERS: The New York Times website outage last week may have been caused by hackers. The Atlantic Wire is reporting that the Times confirmed that the attack was done by the Syrian Electronic Army, a group that supports the government of Bashar al-Assad.

According to reports, the hackers targeted the domain name system, making online articles impossible to be read. In a competitive move, the Wall Street Journal took down its paywall in an attempt to get readers of the Times over to its site.

At the same time, the Syrian Electronic Army attacked Twitter. Reports said that the hackers changed people’s backgrounds putting up their own messages on the micro-blogging site.

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: Chris Haworth of Whitefish Bay has been named the new director of business development at Out of Home America Wilkins Media (OOHA Wilkins).

The Germantown firm, formed through the merger of Out of Home America, Wilkins Media, and  Germantown-based Outdoor First, is the largest independent full service out-of-home media agency in the U.S.

Haworth comes from Clear Channel Outdoor-Milwaukee, and has spent more than a decade in the out-of-home advertising industry.  He has worked in marketing and public relations at Marcus Hotels & Resorts in Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. A board member of the Milwaukee Forum, Haworth also serves on the board of the Badger Region of USA Volleyball and is a national referee for USA Volleyball and the NCAA. 

Haworth was raised in Whitefish Bay, graduating from Whitefish Bay High School and Lewis University. He's also occasionally blogged for OnMilwaukee.com.