An unnamed ransomware group has claimed to have hacked FromSoftware parent company Kadokawa Corporation, and is threatening to release 1.5TB of data and personal information unless the company pays up.
It's been a great few days for FromSoftware, having released Shadow of the Erdtree to critical acclaim and once again proving it's the cream of the crop when it comes to soulslikes. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the studio's parent company, Kadokawa Corporation, as a ransomware group claims to have acquired 1.5Tb of data from the company's internal network, including contracts, documents, legal papers, and a massive amount of personal information.
The ransomware group has made it clear to Kadokawa that it plans to release all the data in its possession on July 1 unless it pays up, with "the confidential life details of many Japanese citizens" dependent on the company's decision. Kadokawa has officially acknowledged the ransomware attack in a statement released earlier today, claiming that it is currently investigating "the possibility of information leakage" and is working on "solutions and workarounds" for its systems.
FromSoftware Parent Company Kadokawa Group Suffers Massive Ransomware Hack
Of course, Kadokawa is a multimedia conglomerate and owns a lot more than just FromSoftware, and the company has admitted that Japanese video sharing site Niconico appears to have been hit the hardest. We have no idea whether FromSoftware itself has been affected by the attack, but we will keep you updated if the situation changes at all in the next few days.
Unfortunately, ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly common as the years go by, with the gaming industry in particular having been largely impacted by them in the past. Marvel's Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games has undoubtedly been hit hardest in recent years, with employee information and future game plans having leaked last year. Rockstar has also been the victim of massive leaks recently, with footage of GTA 6 shared online long before the first trailer's reveal.
Kadokawa certainly isn't the first company connected to the games industry to be hit by a ransomware attack, and it definitely won't be the last. It's unlikely Kadokawa will pay up as this group would like, so all we can do is hope that the personal information of the employees is protected as best as possible.
