If there's one thing that CD Projekt Red's open world sci-fi RPG game Cyberpunk 2077 will arguably be remembered for, it's the controversy surrounding its release. After a very unsteady start as gamers experienced game-breaking bug after game-breaking bug, CDPR began to make amends by releasing a ruck of patches to fix Cyberpunk. However, that is not the only problem for the developer as a new report indicates that the source code for this, and other games, may have been leaked by hackers.
According to DataBreaches.net, hackers have decided to make the code for Cyberpunk 2077 available online, with those responsible allegedly going ahead with it as part of a "charity fundraising" attempt. The report claims the source code may have been uploaded to encrypted folders with the hackers holding them to ransom and asking for $10,000 as a donation in order for them to be unlocked. However, at the time of this article going live, the hackers have not specified exactly which charity they are looking for a donation for.
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As well as Cyberpunk, the report goes on to say that Witcher 3 and Witcher 3 RTX version, which is the build that supports ray tracing, are also being compromised. Not only that, but CDPR's spinoff, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales is likely to be among the other encrypted folders, as well as sensitive information, such as company reports and data from the studio itself. All-in-all, it does not look good for CD Projekt Red, but it may also leave the company, and some people reading this, a little baffled as to why the hackers are doing this given what happened in February.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that CDPR had been hit by a ransomware attack which the company felt may have been an inside job. The original incident was supposedly resolved, with the perpetrators removing the source code from auction where they were attempting to sell it to the highest bidder. Given this, it may seem a little puzzling as to why they are now saying they'll make the source code and sensitive data available when a resolution was reportedly reached a few months ago.
At the moment, CDPR has not commented on the situation. With Cyberpunk 2077 reportedly having one of the largest fan bases, despite all the controversies surrounding the game, holding the source code to ransom is a daring move that the Polish company may need to act on fast, lest the information fall into some potentially nefarious hands.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions currently in development.
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Source: DataBreaches, Eurogamer