CD Projekt, creators of Cyberpunk 2077, hacked

In the wake of the unfortunate negative backlash following the release of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt announced that they were hacked, with some sensitive data potentially compromised.

Important Update pic.twitter.com/PCEuhAJosR

— CD PROJEKT RED (@CDPROJEKTRED) February 9, 2021

According to CD Projekt’s announcement of the hack, it seems the hacker(s) was(were) hoping to hold the data ransom in the hopes of getting them to pay out. CD Projekt has instead decided to go public with the hacking, and has apparently informed at-risk individuals that their data may have been compromised.

Hacker reportedly discovers source code for Cyberpunk 2077 and other games

As part of their announcement, CD Projekt has published the alleged hacker’s ransom note, a notepad document which has some interesting text. “Your have been EPICALLY pwned!!” it begins, suggesting a limited grasp of the English language and a strange belief that internet lingo from 2006 is somehow still in use.

Nonetheless, the note claims to have “dumped” (duped?) full companies of the source code for Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, Gwent, and an “unreleased version of [The] Witcher 3.” The source code for Cyberpunk 2077 and CD Projekt’s older games is likely something that the company highly values, especially as intellectual property, though it likely won’t affect common gamers too much.

More critically, the hacker claims to have documents relating to the internal business of CD Projekt, though it doesn’t detail exactly what that data is. CD Projekt claims that the personal information for customers and GOG users is still secure, but it’s uncertain exactly how they came to that conclusion.

Cyberpunk 2077 fans react to the hacking

People who say this is "fair" or "to be expected" because of the problems of Cyberpunk 2077 should take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves how "fair" their lives would be if they got death threats, hacked and things of that nature for each time they messed something up.

— Alex Moukala (@alex_moukala) February 9, 2021

Most fan reactions to the hacking announcement were appropriately concerned. Despite many fans still getting over their disappointment with Cyberpunk 2077, most saw the severity of this attack on the company for what it is, and were hoping the best for CD Projekt.

Part of the reason fan concern is so important here is that the hackers seem to believe the information they stole from CD Projekt would somehow damage the company’s image. It’s true that Cyberpunk 2077 certainly hurt the company’s public image, but it’s unlikely that a hacker could do more.

Nevertheless, it is interesting that this hacker seems to be targeting CD Projekt’s public relations, even going as far as to say “investors will lose trust in your company and the stock will dive even lower.”

CD Projekt doesn’t seem to believe that whatever was stolen is worth dealing with blackmail over, however, their decision to alert the authorities means that this whole episode will likely play out fairly soon.