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Uplink takes place in the year 2010, with the player in the role of a hacker working for the mysterious "Uplink Corporation". The player gains money, software, hardware, and skill in the course of going about hacking global corperations, then one day, a deceased Uplink agent working for the Andromeda Research Corporation (ARC) sends the player an e-mail.
This begins one of the main story lines. The player can either work for ARC or its rival company Arunmor. ARC is constructing a virus known as the Revelation virus , which will destroy the Internet. Arunmor is trying to stop them.
Uplink has generated a certain controversy because of its thematic, which some say to be able to influence people to become hackers. The controversy exists even despite the game itself being highly unrealistic, and also despite the fact that real hacking requires large knowledge and skills on computer usage.
The game was released for Microsoft Windows and Linux directly by Introversion, and ported to the Mac by Contraband and Ambrosia Software. A version released in the US was published and distributed by Strategy First under the title Uplink: Hacker Elite.
Uplink has a strong modding community, with themes, gateways, new sound and image packs and other additions being made. In mid-2003 Introversion began selling the source code for the game, along with other tools on the Uplink Developer CD. This has led to some gameplay modifications such as the FBI Mod, which adds the FBI server to the game, along with new security systems and missions. Introversion have stopped producing new patches for the game, preferring to leave the job of improving the game to the modding community.