Data stolen from developer CD Projekt Red, including the source codes to games like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, has appeared online after being stolen in February. The publisher is most well-known for its digital distribution service GOG.com, while its development department CD Projekt Red is responsible for creating the popular Witcher game trilogy as well as 2020's Cyberpunk 2077.
In February 2021, CD Projekt Red was the victim of a cyber-attack during which the intruder gained access to much of the developer's secure information. The attacker stole data from the developer's internal network and left behind a ransom note, although at the time CD Projekt refused to negotiate with the attacker. Among the stolen data were the full source codes for Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, and sensitive internal documents. Shortly after the attack, the infiltrators put the hacked data up for auction, and the source codes were quickly auctioned off to an unknown buyer. The data was estimated to be worth millions of dollars.
A report from Eurogamer reveals CD Projekt Red's source code has been released online by a new leaker group. Folders containing the source code for Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3 and its rerelease, and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales have all been released, but these folders are heavily encrypted. The group of leakers is asking for $10,000 "donations," paid in cryptocurrency, from anyone who wishes to unlock one of the folders. CD Projekt Red is yet to offer a response to the new development.
Even before the theft and sale of their internal data, CD Projekt Red was busy dealing with the disastrous launch of Cyberpunk 2077. The urban sci-fi role-playing game was highly anticipated before release, but the game was sadly released in an extremely buggy and unpolished state. Despite CD Projekt Red's efforts to fix the game through patches the game has experienced very poor sales in 2021. This lack of sales for a hotly anticipated title likely contributes to the publisher's recent loss in net profit, having suffered a 60% loss in the first quarter of 2021.
While CD Projekt Red has received sharp and fair criticism in recent history, the theft of the developer's internal data is inexcusable. Stealing a creator's source code and then selling it for profit is damaging to the industry as a whole and should be condemned. While the initial cyberattack and auction was a success, perhaps this new development with the Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher source code will lead to some action against CD Projekt Red's infiltrators.
Source: Eurogamer