The Insomniac Games leak has been a major talking point in the industry of late, and many developers have leapt to the studio’s defense in condemning the act. The ransom fee, which was rumored to be over $2 million was not met, which led to details of upcoming games for the next ten years along with confidential employee details being released to the public.
However, in a show of solidarity for the gaming industry, many other studios have come forward to denounce the actions of the hacker group, identified as Rhysida. Studios such as Remedy Entertainment along with several other influential figures in the industry, have understandably felt the need to voice their support to Insomniac.
What have other studios said about the Insomniac Games leak?
Whilst the studio has been riding on the crest of a wave following the huge success of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the announcement of the Marvel’s Wolverine game, it has unfortunately come crashing down to earth. Ransomware group Rhysida issued a statement with the demands to be met or they would release the hacked data, and at the time of writing, over a terabyte of data has been made public.
The response from fans worldwide has been one of complete outrage and studios have now come forward to offer their support to the studio. Many well-known developers in the gaming industry have been understandably vocal in denouncing the hackers and stating that they are saddened by what has happened.
Remedy Entertainment, the company behind one of this year’s top games, Alan Wake 2, had the following to say on the matter;
Our sympathies to Insomniac Games and all the affected team members. After all the effort and dedication they have poured into their games, they didn’t deserve this. No one does.
The hackers also leaked employee’s personal information, which is truly disgraceful and shameful.
Looking at the comment from Remedy, it is perhaps the latter part that is more relevant. Although details of a game have been leaked it is the confidential information that has been made public which is more shocking, and employees will no doubt be worried about what the consequences of this leak will be for them moving forward.
The Narrative Director for CD Projekt Red, Phil Weber, who has worked on titles such as The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, also released a statement of support for the studio;
My heart goes out to the people affected by the Insomniac leaks, and a hearty f**k you to the people responsible. I’ve had to pay a service for the last two years to make sure no one messes with my personal data after my company was hacked in 2021. Stuff like that truly sucks.
Weber’s comments only go to show that this appears to be yet another case in what can be described as a worrying trend for the gaming industry.
There has also been support from developers of Destiny and Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, who condemned the actions of the hacker group. As with others in the industry, they are saddened by these actions, and are in total agreement that it is a terrible situation. Some used more colourful language, which we won’t repeat here.
Putting all those hours of hard work into developing a game, only for it to be leaked as a result of hackers to use as leverage must be one of the toughest situations to undergo, and no doubt the upcoming weeks and months it will be at the forefront of many people’s minds.
While the Insomniac Games leaks are quite disheartening, it is good to see the industry pull together in the condemnation of the hackers and offer support to the studio. Having leaks regarding upcoming games and future plans is bad enough, but to have personal data being held to ransom is extremely worrying and is no doubt unsettling for all concerned.
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