That video games are not political? Russian hackers attacked the Ukrainian Stalker 2 developer and stole a test build. We tell you more details, in this note!
GSC Game Worldthe developer of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, confirmed that he suffered attacks by Russian hackers during the last “year and a half”, which in one of these took a test version of his expected game. The Ukrainian company confirmed that it found the vulnerability through a statement where it confirmed that the version was intended for internal testing of various aspects of the game.
The studio asked fans to “do not watch or share any leaked material from the game“, which most likely will not be fulfilled because the network of networks loves to gossip. GSC Game World, of course, clarified that the leaked materials were not ready for release and do not reflect the objectives of the game. However, they couldruin your experience of exploring the Zone yourself“.
“Despite the problem, we will continue to make sure that the game meets your expectations, as we hope“, concludes the statement.
This incident occurs just a few months after GSC Game World dismissed a blackmail threat by pro-Russian hackers who hijacked a developer’s account. “They are threatening to use the data obtained for blackmail and intimidationthe study said in March. “This is not the first attempt to hack and leak our data, including personal information. We have been enduring constant cyberattacks for over a year. We have faced blackmail, acts of aggression, hacks, attempts to harm players and fans, and efforts to damage the development process or our company’s reputation“.
It is not clear if these two attacks are the work of the same group. Responsibility for the March hack was claimed on a Russian social network.
Right now, Russia and Ukraine are locked in a war, and the game is, for some players, a vehicle of resistance and an opportunity to gain attention. Some of that is seen even by developers who made the decision to use the Ukrainian spelling of Chornobyl instead of the Russian spelling “Chernobyl” in all languages.