EA hack results in theft of FIFA 21 and Frostbite engine source code

EA says hack will not put player data at risk

Electronic Arts has been left reeling in the aftermath of a serious data breach in which hackers made off with almost 800GB of confidential data, including the source code for several video games and developer DICE’s Frostbite engine.

As reported by VICE Motherboard, person or persons gained access to EA’s databases and made off with what’s believed to be 780GB of data, with an intent to sell the stolen code. The data includes the source code for FIFA 21 and its respective matchmaking server, the code for DICE’s Frostbite engine, (used for titles such as Battlefield and Mirror’s Edge), and a variety of development streamlining tools and software development kits. EA confirmed the attack to VICE, but stated that player data is not at risk, nor does it believe the results of the attack will hinder the publisher’s productions.

“We are investigating a recent incident of intrusion into our network where a limited amount of game source code and related tools were stolen,” said an EA spokesperson in a statement. “No player data was accessed, and we have no reason to believe there is any risk to player privacy. Following the incident, we’ve already made security improvements and do not expect an impact on our games or our business. We are actively working with law enforcement officials and other experts as part of this ongoing criminal investigation.”

EA has noted that it is working with authorities to ascertain the details of the attack and has since increased the security on its internal servers.

This event is the latest in several serious data breaches that have occurred at major publishers. Back in February of this year, CD Projekt RED was ransacked in a “targeted cyber attack”, where hackers made off with the source code for Cyberpunk 2077, an unreleased edition of The Witcher 3, and a wide variety of confidential documents and employee details. In November 2020, Resident Evil developer Capcom was also targeted by hackers, in an attack that saw much of the studio’s upcoming plans leaked onto the internet, alongside the theft of thousands of company and employee records.