The Rhysida ransomware group has disclosed a massive 1.67 terabytes of internal documents stolen from Sony’s Insomniac Games. The compromised information includes game roadmaps, character art, budgets, and crucial details about the highly anticipated Wolverine game release.
Rhysida executed the breach by infiltrating Insomniac Games, threatening to expose the stolen data unless Sony paid a $2 million ransom. With Insomniac Games refusing to comply, the ransomware group proceeded to release over 1.3 million files on its leak site.
Preliminary investigations into the leaked documents indicate that Rhysida successfully accessed some of Insomniac’s most valuable assets. The exposed information encompasses screenshots of the upcoming Wolverine game’s development, software licensing agreements with Nvidia, and details from the company’s contract with Marvel.
Rhysida has gained notoriety as a prolific ransomware purveyor, targeting a diverse range of critical infrastructure organizations in recent months. Past exploits include an attack on Prospect Medical Holdings, resulting in the leak of over 500,000 Social Security numbers, and a ransomware attack on the British Library.
Insomniac Games, the developer behind Marvel’s Spider-Man, has not yet responded to the leak or provided official comments on the incident. The aftermath of this cyber breach, including the potential public disclosure of budget and royalty cut documents, could reverberate across the gaming industry. Law enforcement agencies are yet to make public statements about potential investigations into the Rhysida group.
While the leaked documents offer a trove of insider details, the accuracy and context of the information remain uncertain. Hacker groups sometimes lack a full understanding of the data they release, leading to the possibility of outdated or misconstrued information.
This breach raises concerns about the potential impact on Insomniac’s competitors as they gain insights into the company’s upcoming projects and plans. The leak includes internal Slack messages, employee passport information, non-disclosure agreements with companies like Activision and Apple, and details about royalty bonus plans.
Developers within the gaming industry, such as Wushu Studios and Sony Santa Monica’s Cory Balrog, have expressed sympathy for Insomniac over the hack. The gaming community is closely watching for any official responses from Sony and Insomniac Games as the industry grapples with one of its most significant data breaches.
