Sony’s video game plans leaked by ransomware group

Hackers claimed to have leaked over 1.3 million files from Sony Corp division Insomniac Games, maker of the Marvel’s Spider-Man series.

The enormous leak includes game road maps, budgets, and detailed information about Insomniac’s upcoming Wolverine game, which a document says is slated for 2026. According to the files, Sony plans to release several Marvel-inspired titles in the next decade, including Spider-Man 3, based on Venom and X-Men games. The files also reference a new Ratchet & Clank game apparently slated for 2029.

Insomniac and Marvel’s licensing commitment is as high as US$621mil (RM2.88bil) to develop and market the X-Men games by 2035, according to one document, which was one of many circulating on the internet.

Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cyberdaily.au previously reported the leak. Among the other details in the leaked data were; details about dozens of current and former employees, including compensation and personal information; photos of an executive’s credit card; and contracts showing multimillion parachute payments to executives upon the studio’s sale to Sony; and historical financial agreements with games publishers including Oculus and EA Games.

Bloomberg couldn’t independently verify that the details in the leaked data were accurate.

The Rhysida ransomware group announced the hack Dec 12, saying it would auction the data for approximately US$2mil (RM9.30mil) in Bitcoin. On Tuesday morning, the hackers published the data. The US government in November issued an advisory about the Rhysida gang, warning that the hackers predominantly targeted the education, health care, manufacturing and information technology sectors.

The video game industry has suffered some of the biggest hacks in its history since 2022. Hackers released early footage of Take-Two Interactive Inc’s upcoming blockbuster Grand Theft Auto VI in late 2022. Bandai Namco Holdings Inc and Tencent Holdings Inc-owned Riot Games also confirmed hacks.

In 2014, Sony Pictures suffered arguably one of the worst hacks in Hollywood history. At the time, a group called the “The Guardians of Peace” released large amounts of the studio’s confidential information, including employee’s personal data, embarrassing private emails from top executives and scripts of unreleased films.

The hackers demanded that Sony stop the forthcoming roll-out of The Interview, a comedy featuring a mock assassination attempt of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The group also said that movie theatres showing the film would be attacked. The threats succeeded at disrupting the premier, as Sony dramatically scaled back the film’s release. Afterward, the North Korean government denied sponsoring the hack. – Bloomberg