Cyberpunk 2077 Hackers Got What They Wanted

The phrase "CD Projekt Red can't catch a break" has quickly become old hat. The video game developer — responsible for the hugely popular "Witcher" series, as well as a certain troubled sci-fi RPG — has been scrambling to appease fans since the tumultuous (but massive) launch of "Cyberpunk 2077." By now, gamers everywhere are familiar with the game's many bugs, glitches, and AI quirks — many of which are admittedly hilarious. What they might not be aware of, however, is the real-life cyber-battle raging between CDPR and a group of hackers. Sounds like something straight out of Night City, huh?

In what may be one of gaming's most outrageous examples of life imitating art, hackers have leaked the source code for "Cyberpunk 2077" and a number of other CDPR games onto the internet. According to a text file reportedly circulating 4chan — uploaded to a ResetEra thread by a user named delete12345 — anyone can access this data in exchange for a mere $10 donation.

In an effort to prove the data's legitimacy, the same text file claims that the group is offering the games' PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox software developer kits free of charge. The text file also claims that these hackers possess "CDPR data, company reports, [and NDAs]," and, while those bits of info will be shared with the media, they won't be released directly to the public.

While CDPR's latest hacker troubles might sound shocking to some, this move has actually been a long time coming. In February, a group of hackers wielding the hilariously-named HelloKitty ransomware stole a plethora of data from CDPR, including the source code for "Cyberpunk 2077," "Gwent," "The Witcher 3," and a special version of the latter with full ray-tracing support.

After demanding a ransom from the Polish company — a ransom that went ignored — the hackers put the data up for auction on the dark web. Eventually, the sellers pulled the listing. According to KELA, a cyber intelligence firm, the hackers instead opted to accept an outside offer for the data. Still, KELA reports that this transaction came with a caveat: "no further distribution or selling" of the data was allowed.

This makes the hackers' latest move even more suspicious, considering the sale's conditions. While the text file reads, in part, "This leak is in accordance with the buyer in exchange for a discount," it's still worth considering that this leak may not be legitimate. While at least one ResetEra user alleges to have accessed these files, their claim is by no means definitive proof.

Whether or not this latest leak is legitimate, hopefully the whole kerfuffle will blow over soon. CD Projekt Red has enough on its plate trying to convince Sony to let "Cyberpunk 2077" back onto the PlayStation Store.