Warhorse Studios Hit By Hackers, Development Reportedly Halted

Warhorse Studios, the team behind the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series and an upcoming Lord of the Rings game, has been hit with a “serious” cybersecurity incident.

For as long as video games have been a thing, there have been hackers trying to break into whatever they can, be it the games themselves or the teams that make them. The past few years have seen a massive rise in hacking, with notable teams like Rockstar, Insomniac, Capcom, and many more having their databases broken into.

Earlier this week, another big developer was added to that lineup of hacked teams – Warhorse Studios, the creators of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its sequel. A statement was released that confirmed “unauthorised access to company systems”, with CEO Martin Frývaldský calling it a “serious” incident. It might be even worse than is being said, though.

Warhorse Studios Has Reportedly Stopped Work After Hacking Incident

Hackers Are Said To Be Blackmailing The Developer

An image showcasing Henry of Skalitz standing in an open field with a petrified look on his face, covered in blood, in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.

Earlier today, Warhorse Studios shared an update on the incident, confirming that the hackers gained access to its systems, but that it’s not sure if “personal information” has been affected. The team says that it’s continuing to work with authorities, but that it won’t be “conducting interviews or providing additional comments” right now.

It Would Suck If Every RPG Was Like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Recent comments by Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 director Daniel Vávra have me reflecting on the future of RPGs.

It seems that the situation is a lot more dire than that statement suggests, though. ResetEra user RedbullCola shared the statement and noted that someone from the studio told them that it’s “ransomware” that has hit every system and “essentially stopped” game development entirely.

They aren’t the only one to claim this, either, as Redditor bertik11 called it “extremely serious” since employees “can’t work at all” because all computers have been disconnected as a security precaution. The team reportedly isn’t allowed to turn on their computers, and the hackers are blackmailing the studio and demanding money from them.

The amount of money being asked for by the hackers currently hasn’t been reported. It’s also worth noting that Warhorse itself hasn’t confirmed the attack as ransomware just yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

If these reports are true, it likely means that the next Kingdom Come game and the mysterious Lord of the Rings project are both impacted by the halted development. While it might not sound like a few days without working could push things back, there’s no telling how long this situation could go on and how much damage it ends up doing.