Capcom has been the subject of a massive data breach in which personal and corporate information has been stolen and leaked. This includes information on upcoming projects as well as the personal information of former and current company employees.
What exactly has been released in this Capcom leak?
According to an official statement from Capcom, a ransomware group called Ragnar Locker is responsible for the attack. There is some information Capcom has verified to have been stolen, as well as some it suspects could have been stolen. Information verified to have been stolen includes 9 items of "personal information" pertaining to current or former employees of the company. In addition to this info, internal sales reports and financial information have also been leaked.
Perhaps more worrying for gamers at large is the information Capcom believes may have potentially been stolen. This could include up to 350,000 individual items of personal information pertaining to Capcom customers or business partners. Within this umbrella (no pun intended), Capcom is including North American Capcom Store member information, as well as North American esports operations data, a list of shareholders, and former employees' information, including data relating to those employees' families. It's worth noting that Capcom hasn't verified this data to have been stolen yet.
Capcom says that none of the "at-risk data" includes credit card information, as all online transactions are handled by a third-party provider. This means Capcom doesn't collect information regarding payment methods. In addition, it should be noted that although 350,000 is a pretty alarming number, Capcom has deliberately listed the maximum possible number of items of data due to being unable to ascertain the exact magnitude of the attack.
What about upcoming Capcom games?
On a slightly less alarming note, the Ragnar Locker leak also contains details regarding upcoming projects. To put it bluntly, there's a heck of a lot here. According to Twitter user pokeprotos - who provides screenshots of the leak as evidence - information in the leak includes an upcoming Ace Attorney PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch collection. Said collection will, according to a Reddit thread, include the first three games in the Ace Attorney series. More significantly, however, the collection will also localize Dai Gyakuten Saiban (also known as The Great Ace Attorney) and its sequel. These games were originally passed over for localization due to "a number of circumstances", so this would be the first time they have officially appeared in the West.
In game screenshots from the Ace Attorney collection! pic.twitter.com/wOIP0wQ1Qj
— /PPG/ (@pokeprotos) November 16, 2020
The Ragnar Locker leak also reveals some information regarding the upcoming Resident Evil VIII: Village. Supposedly, the game will launch in late April next year and will also include an online component (codenamed "DOMINION"). Current-gen versions of the game are being planned, and there will be a demo to play shortly before Village's release which will show off a couple of the game's levels. Here's the internal document confirming a current-gen launch for the game, as well as its online component:
And here's a document discussing the demo and Capcom's internal strategy regarding the launch of Resident Evil VIII: Village:
There's plenty more in the leak, of course. A VR port of Resident Evil 4 is supposedly being planned, as is a PC version of Switch exclusive Monster Hunter Rise. A new Switch-exclusive IP is in the works, codenamed "GUILLOTINE", as well as a streamer-focused shooter codenamed "SHIELD" and a new Resident Evil-themed multiplayer experience referred to as "Project Highway". Topping the leak off is leaked source code for Devil May Cry 2 and Wii rail shooter Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.
What does this leak mean for players of Capcom games?
Right now, that's unclear. Capcom says up to 350,000 items of individual customer or shareholder information could have been leaked. These items could include names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. Crucially, however, financial information has not been leaked, so you don't need to worry about your credit card information being out there on Capcom's behalf. In addition, Capcom says it is "safe" for you to play its games online and to access its internet services.
If you do want to ask about personal information you believe or suspect could have been compromised, you can do so via the following methods:
- Japanese telephone numbers: 0120-400161 (game customer enquiries), 0120-896680 (general enquiries)
- North American customer support
- European customer support (email address)
What do you think about this leak? Let us know in the comments below!
