FromSoftware is currently celebrating the release of its Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree. However, the owner of FromSoftware, Kadokawa, was recently hit with a ransom attack.
The news broke on the social media platform X (via ResetEra) earlier today:
According to the ransom note, 1.5TB of data was hacked by the BlackSuit group. The group claims it has access to sensitive data, including contracts, DocuSigned papers, legal papers, and financial data. In addition, “personal info, payments, contracts, emails etc,” have also been compromised. All of this data will be leaked on July 1 unless Kadokawa pays the hackers a large sum of money.
If the name BlackSuit sounds familiar, that is because the organization was also behind recent outages at CDK Global, a company that is responsible for providing software to 15,000 North American car dealerships. It looks like they crave chaos and disruption and are willing to do just about anything to achieve it.
Related: How to Use Messmer’s Kindling & Burn the Sealing Tree in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree
The timing of this attack is extra unfortunate because everyone at FromSoftware should be focused on the release of Shadow of the Erdtree. Sure, the DLC has proven difficult for some, but it has the entire gaming community buzzing, with one person trying to beat it using only their mind, while others marathon the new content in front of thousands of viewers.
It is also disheartening to see a group like BlackSuit go after people’s livelihoods for cash. Instead of going after corrupt politicians or businesses, they prey upon the vulnerable; honest folks just trying to make a living. We shall see soon enough if Kadokawa pays these crooks or, if not, whether BlackSuit is bluffing.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is available now.
