Cyberpunk 2077 publisher CD Projekt targeted in ‘cyber attack’

CD Projekt, the company behind Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3, was targeted Monday in a major “cyber attack,” according to a statement published on Twitter. Hackers reportedly stole “certain data belonging to CD Projekt capital group,” CD Projekt said. The company said it is currently securing its servers and restoring encrypted data.

In the ransom note published by CD Projekt, the hackers said they stole source code for Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, Gwent, and “the unreleased version of Witcher 3.” The group said it also accessed “documents relating to accounting, administration, legal, HR, [and] investor relations.” CD Projekt did not confirm the data stolen, but said in its statement that no personal user data for any of its services was compromised.

Polygon has reached out to CD Projekt for more information.

Hackers gave CD Projekt 48 hours to initiate contact before “the source code will be sold or leaked online.”

“Your public image will go down the shitter even more and people will see how you [sic] shitty your company functions,” the hacker said in the note. “Investors will lose trust in your company and the stock will dive even lower.”

CD Projekt said it will not negotiate with the hackers. It said it’s aware the “compromised data” may be released, and the company is “taking necessary steps to mitigate the consequences of such a release.” CD Projekt is working with authorities and “IT forensic specialists” to investigate the hack.

Monday’s hack follows a rocky launch for Cyberpunk 2077, the highly-anticipated title that was released December 2020. The game launched with a bevy of performance issues — particularly on last-generation consoles. CD Projekt and other storefronts were forced to offer refunds for the game, which was later pulled from Sony’s PlayStation Store. CD Projekt is also facing multiple class action lawsuits from investors.

Ahead of Cyberpunk 2077’s launch, the company was criticized for “poor management and disregard for the people who make our games,” as well as a history of transphobic marketing.

Studio executives at CD Projekt have since apologized for the troubled launch.

“We ignored signals about the need for additional time to refine the game on the base last-gen consoles,” CD Projekt co-CEO Adam Kiciński said in December. “It was the wrong approach and against our business philosophy.”

CD Projekt Red, the developing arm at the company, has been releasing patches and hotfixes for Cyberpunk 2077. Major updates are coming later this year, the developer said.