Employees at the acclaimed video game developer Insomniac Games were left “saddened and angered” this week after falling victim to a criminal ransomware attack. Sensitive company information was stolen and published online in an attempt to extort the Sony-owned studio.

The attack, which is believed to have occurred late last week, resulted in large amounts of internal Insomniac data being extracted from the company’s systems. This included personal information on employees such as their names, email addresses, and salary details.

Additionally, sensitive information relating to Insomniac’s upcoming blockbuster game Marvel’s Wolverine was leaked. Specific details remain unclear, but development documents, design notes, and other materials appear to have slipped into the hands of the hackers.

Insomniac released a statement several days after the initial attack, explaining that the delay was to allow its impacted employees time to process events before addressing fans. The emotional toll of such a deeply personal data breach seems to have shaken staff across the entire studio.

However, Insomniac was keen to stress that work on the highly anticipated Wolverine game was continuing as normal and would evolve, as is typical during video game development cycles. It promised to share more official details when the time was appropriate.

The ransomware group taking credit for the cyberattack goes by the name Rhysida. The hackers have previously targeted organizations like the British Library and are known to encrypt files until an extortion payment is made. As of writing, it is unknown if Sony or Insomniac intends to engage with these demands.

Insomniac reassured fans that other future projects such as Marvel’s Spider-Man game series were unaffected outside of the obvious employee impact. The studio is renowned for hits like Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, and the record-breaking PlayStation exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man.

Fans and industry colleagues rallied to support Insomniac employees, condemning the heartless actions of the attackers. Many called on online communities not to further share any leaked materials from the hack.

While the company recovers from this unfortunate event, the dedicated staff at Insomniac continue doing what they do best — creating imaginative gaming experiences for the PlayStation community. This close-knit team will no doubt bond together and emerge from the incident stronger than ever.