A major upcoming game is being held hostage by hackers demanding a ransom

pulse

June 8, 2017 7:02 PM

After a spate of recent hacking of movie companies, game developer CD Projeckt Red says its next game 'Cyberpunk 2077' is being held hostage by hackers.

A still from the first trailer for "Cyberpunk 2077," by CD Projekt RED.

First, 10 episodes of the new season of "Orange is the New Black" were stolen by hackers who demanded Netflix pony up a ransom to keep the hackers from releasing the episodes to the public.

Then, a massive hack called "Wannacry" affected thousands of people by encrypting their computer and demanding a ransom (paid in Bitcoin, no less).

Next up: video games.

Famed Polish game development studio CD Projekt RED — most well-known for its massive action-RPG series, "The Witcher" — says that several hacked files are being held hostage by hackers.

"An unidentified individual or individuals have just informed us they are in possession of a few internal files belonging to CD Projekt RED," a statement posted by the company on Twitter reads. "Among them are documents connected to early designs for the upcoming game, 'Cyberpunk 2077.'"

It's not clear what type of "internal files" the statement is referring to — they could be early concept art of the game, or gameplay footage, or any other number of things. The only description CD Projekt RED offers of the stolen files is vague: "The documents are old and largely unrepresentative of the current vision for the game."

One thing is clear from the statement — CD Projekt RED isn't paying.

"We will not be giving in to the demands of the individual or individuals that have contacted us," the statement reads, "which might eventually lead to the files being published online." That's especially meaningful when it comes to "Cyberpunk 2077" — outside of a single teaser trailer, little is known about the upcoming game.

Here's the full statement from CD Projekt RED:

And here's the full trailer for "Cyberpunk 2077" — the game has no release date, but it's planned for launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

pulse

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

Get rewards worth up to $20 when selected to participate in our exclusive focus group. Your input will help us to make informed decisions that align with your needs and preferences.

I've got feedback!

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng