The man behind this week’s big Starfield leak is alleged to have been in possession of multiple stolen copies of the game.
Earlier this week, roughly 40 minutes of gameplay footage from Starfield leaked online, which Microsoft and Bethesda subsequently tried to scrub from the internet as best they could.
You’d think that’d be the end of it, but the person believed to be responsible for the leak not only publicly revealed themselves, but also promised to keep posting gameplay.
It’s since been reported that the individual has been arrested, which seems a bit of an extreme response to a video game leak… until you realise they were also trying to sell other stolen physical copies of the game.
Let’s back up a bit. An individual with the online handle Memphian94 initially uploaded that 40-minute video to his own YouTube channel. How they were able to acquire a copy of the game isn’t clear.
While the video was taken down, someone was able to screengrab the comments section, where Memphian94 promised to leak even more footage, saying: ‘This is only the beginning.’
He later posted a TikTok video (shared on Twitter by a separate individual), publicly revealing his face, where he says he isn’t mad about his video being removed and praises the game, even directly addressing Starfield director Todd Howard.
Rather than cut his losses, according to Kotaku, Memphian94, whose real name is Darin Harris, was later found to be selling multiple physical copies of Starfield for as much as $200 (about £160) via Japanese marketplace app Mercari.
Harris went on to upload a TikTok video of himself appearing to mail sold copies via FedEx, showing himself paying for the shipping, as well as another video reiterating his pledge to keep uploading footage.
He proceeded to upload more videos to not only show he was in possession of multiple physical copies, but he was packaging them to be shipped out by FedEx. All to refute accusations that he was scamming people.
‘Y’all thought I’d be out here putting stuff on the internet and it ain’t real? Nah baby that ain’t how we do it. That ain’t how we do that,’ said Harris.
Harris has since scrubbed his entire social media presence, but the aforementioned videos can still be viewed via Streamable.
Harris was then arrested and booked on a felony charge yesterday on August 24 by the Shelby County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Office, which has slapped him with a felony charge for $2,500 – $10,000 worth of stolen property and a misdemeanour charge for $1,000 or less of stolen property. Plus, a misdemeanour charge for being in possession of marijuana.
It’s entirely possible that Microsoft and/or Bethesda tipped off the authorities after the initial leak but even if they weren’t involved, Harris wasn’t exactly subtle about being in possession of goods he really shouldn’t have been.
We’ll be sure to update the article should any further developments arise.
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