Insomniac Games hit by ransomware attack; Wolverine details and more leaked

By Tomas Franzese December 19, 2023

Shot of Logan's back in Marvel's Wolverine. — Insomniac Games

Sony-owned studio Insomniac Games was hacked by a ransomware group, resulting in a leak of previously unknown details about Marvel’s Wolverine, as well as the studio and Sony’s future plans.

Ransomware group Rhysida released around 1.67 terabytes of data obtained from Insomniac via a hack on Monday night, according to Cyber Daily. Reporting by Axios shows that the organization has a reputation for stealing personal information like Social Security numbers through cyberattacks on companies like Prospect Medical Holdings.

Rhysida told Cyber Daily that Insomniac was an “easy target” and that money was the only motivation for the hack. The group reportedly demanded about $2 million for the data last week. At the time, Sony provided the following comment to IGN: “We are aware of reports that Insomniac Games has been the victim of a cybersecurity attack. We are currently investigating this situation. We have no reason to believe that any other [Sony Interactive Entertainment] or Sony divisions have been impacted.”

It’s not stretch to call the far-ranging leak one of the most devastating in the game industry to date. It contained private information about developers, in-development material for Marvel’s Wolverine, Insomniac’s product roadmap for the next several years, and even some loose details on other upcoming Sony games.

So far, developers like Wushu Studios and Sony Santa Monica’s Cory Balrog have shared their sympathies with Insomanic over the hack. “Game creators work tirelessly to create works of art & entertainment for everyone. To see any team rewarded for this with malicious attacks & blackmail is cruel,” Wushu Studios wrote. “We know the Insomniac Games team will persevere.”

Sony and Insomniac have yet to comment on this matter. We’ll update this article when they do.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a more sinister superhero power fantasy

EMBARGOED FOR 9/15 8 AM PT Peter attacks enemies with the Symbiote Suit in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Despite the fact that they star superheroes enduring tragic losses, Marvel’s Spider-Man and its Miles Morales spinoff aren’t dark games. Both are playful summer blockbusters full of comedic quips, light-hearted teen drama, and colorful action set pieces that even surpass the excitement of the web-slinger’s cinematic outings. They’re open-world playgrounds that allow players to gleefully zip around while foiling the occasional bad guy. When I first sat down with a two-hour demo of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 earlier this week, it seemed like that energy would continue as expected.

The first leg of my demo had a familiar positivity to it as I joked around with Miles Morales’ pals, solved some science puzzles, and stopped some low-level criminals from stealing a drum set. But there was something more sinister bubbling that would rise to the surface by the end of my session – a dreariness that threatened to corrupt its lovable Spider-men like a pitch-black symbiote.

Gaming

Take a closer look at Sony’s special-edition Spider-Man 2 PS5

The Spider-Man special edition PS5 and controller stand on a table.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is just over a month away, but Sony is already celebrating its launch. You can now get your hands on a special-edition PlayStation 5 based on the upcoming game. If you're curious about whether or not it's worth the price, we got a close look at the new bundle.

Sony's special package costs $600 and includes a standard PS5 and all the components that usually come with it. However, it comes packed with three specific extras that make it an enticing value: custom faceplates, a digital voucher for the upcoming game, and a nifty DualSense controller.

Gaming

Venom attacks in the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 story trailer

Venom on the streets of New York in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

Insomniac Games showed a story trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Thursday night, giving us our best look at the game's interpretation of Venom yet.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - Story Trailer | PS5 Games
At San Diego Comic-Con this year, Insomniac Games held a panel called Marvel's Spider-Man 2: Symbiotic Relationships, where developers and voice actors revealed more about the game, its story, and its characters. Most notably, we got this new story trailer for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which features characters like Venom, Harry Osborn, and Mr. Negative.
The trailer begins with Harry Osborn and Peter Parker catching up now that Harry's out of the weird stasis his father kept him in. He asks Peter to help him "heal the world." We then see Harry meet Miles, who questions if Peter will still have time for Spider-Man now that he's helping Harry. After that, Kraven's forces begin attacking, and Peter asks Mary Jane to look into the villain for him.
Then, in one of the trailer's more surprising moments, Martin Li, who was the villain Mr. Negative in Marvel's Spider-Man and killed Miles' father, appears. He seems to just live in New York as a regular person now, although Miles' Spider-Man does confront him and say, "You don't know what you took from me." After this, the trailer shifts its focus to the Symbiote, which we see corrupting Pete, scaring Mary Jane, and more.

The trailer ends with Tony Todd's Venom saying, "We're going to heal the world," before beginning to tear up the streets of New York while fighting Kraven's forces. Venom has a very beefy, threatening look that's quite intimidating, while his one line in the trailer implies that Venom could be Harry Osborn, making this villain more tied to Peter and Harry's lives. It all certainly sets the stage for what's bound to be an enthralling superhero adventure when it launches in a couple of months.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will release exclusively for PS5 on October 20.