Highlights
- Insomniac Games is the latest victim of cyberattacks, and downloads of Marvel's Wolverine's leaked build results in DMCA notices from ISPs.
- Other leaked information includes game plans, employee data, and personal documents, causing significant damage and exposing sensitive material.
- Insomniac has acknowledged the breach, expressing gratitude for community support and clarifiying that the leaked content is still an early version subject to changes.
Users who downloaded the Marvel's Wolverine leaked play build reportedly received DMCAs from their internet service providers. Insomniac Games is the most recent high-profile casualty of malicious ransomware attacks in the gaming industry. Unfortunately, the cyberattack resulted in well over a terabyte of information being leaked to the public. In addition to an early playable build of Marvel's Wolverine, plans for Insomniac's next five games leaked along with employee data, passport info, confidential papers, internal emails, and some of Spider-Man voice actor Yuri Lowenthal's personal documents.
After remaining quiet for a few days, Insomniac issued a statement on the data breach in which the studio expressed deep sadness about recent events but gratitude for the community support during this time. Before the breach, little was known about the anticipated game. Marvel's Wolverine was announced at a PlayStation Showcase in 2021, but Insomniac has kept a tight lid on things since then, focusing mainly on the studio's recent Spider-Man 2 release. The attack has unfortunately resulted in the Marvel's Wolverine cast being leaked along with an early playable build of the game. Those who have sought out an early look at the anticipated title, however, might be regretting it now.
Game Developers Respond to Insomniac Hack
Developers from other studios are chiming in with their opinions on the Insomniac leak, expressing solidarity with the company.
Internet service providers are reportedly issuing DMCA notices to those who downloaded the playable dev version of Marvel's Wolverine. Some players who claim to have been hit with DMCAs are taking to social media and sharing screenshots of the notice. According to the screenshot being shared online, the copyright owner has identified the user's IP address, meaning Insomniac has some way of tracking these leaked files online.
The DMCA asks that the user delete the mentioned files or risk having their internet service shut off or their account terminated. The document floating around on social media appears to be from Xfinity, but other service providers are likely able to issue DMCA notices as well.
Given Insomniac's track record, gamers are excited about the studio tackling the fan-favorite X-Men character. Insomniac's adventures with Peter Parker and Miles Morales have been extremely successful thus far, with the recent fall release Spider-Man 2 smashing sales records at launch. All three games in the studio's Spider-Man series have also been universally praised by critics.
Despite leaks, Wolverine looks to usher in a new era for Marvel games with a presumably grittier take on the superhero genre. According to Insomniac, what fans have seen resulting from the leak is still just an early look at Marvel's Wolverine. The studio claims the title is in the early stages of production and will likely go through some significant changes before it is finally, officially released.
