Credit: 20th Century StudiosAn upcoming Wolverine solo project hit a massive speed bump when data was hacked by a hacker organization that is holding it ransom for millions of dollars.
Wolverine is one of the most popular characters in Marvel Comics, let alone the X-Men. Initially debuting in 1974, Wolverine skyrocketed in popularity with the release of X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997). However, it was his iconic live-action portrayal by Hugh Jackman in films like X-Men (2000), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and Logan (2017) that cemented the mutant as one of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe.
While most people are excited about his R-rated journey with Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) in Deadpool 3 (2024), gamers are excited for Logan’s solo adventure on the PlayStation 5 from Insomniac Games called Marvel’s Wolverine (TBA). However, a hacker organization may have put a pause on the development process.
Infamous Hacker Group Ransoms’ Marvel’s Wolverine’ Data, Employee Personal Information for 50 Bitcoin
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Known for creating the Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, and Resistance franchises, Insomniac Games has most recently received critical acclaim for its Spider-Man titles, namely Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018), Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (2023). However, the studio’s upcoming Wolverine game seems to be in dire straits.
According to CyberDaily, the Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (2021) developer has reportedly been hacked by a ransomware group known as Rhysida. The hack reportedly contains emails between staff, employment documents, screenshots of Marvel’s Wolverine, and employees’ passport/other government identification info.
Related: Possible ‘Spider-Verse’ Project Leaked Amid Massive Studio Hack
Rhysida is auctioning the information on its website for seven days, starting at 50 bitcoin, or the amount of $2 million. “With just seven days on the clock, seize the opportunity to bid on exclusive, unique, and impressive data,” Rhysida said on its site. “Open your wallets and be ready to buy exclusive data. We sell only to one hand, no reselling; you will be the only owner!”
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigations and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have warned about Rhysida, mentioning that they target “education, healthcare, manufacturing, information technology, and government sectors since May 2023.” The group has taken ownership of numerous healthcare company attacks and the recent British Library attack.
Insomniac has reportedly been hacked by people who claim to have info on the #Wolverine game including unrevealed Marvel characters
They’re giving Insomniac 7 days to pay them $2M before releasing it all pic.twitter.com/pa9MGZx2c2
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) December 12, 2023
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“We are aware of reports that Insomniac Games has been the victim of a cyber security attack,” said a representative for Sony Interactive Entertainment to Polygon. “We are currently investigating this situation. We have no reason to believe that any other SIE or Sony divisions have been impacted.”
There has been no word whether Sony Interactive Entertainment or Insomniac Games will pay the ransom. While the screenshots and game data may be frustrating, the truly scary part of this situation is all of the employees’ private information. Hopefully, this will be resolved quickly.
What do you hope to see in a video game about Wolverine? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!