Elden Ring publisher confirms it's been hacked and is now investigating the "scope of the damage"

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Bandai Namco confirms the hack took place earlier this month

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(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has confirmed reports that its servers were hacked, seemingly by a ransomware group, and the company is now investigating the "scope of the damage." 

The company released a statement earlier today on the hack, which actually took place on July 3. Bandai says it "experienced an unauthorized access by third party to the internal systems of several Group companies in Asian regions (excluding Japan)." The company moved to "block access to the servers to prevent the damage from spreading," but it's clear that a significant chunk of damage was already done. 

"There is a possibility that customer information related to the Toys and Hobby Business in Asian regions (excluding Japan) was included in the servers and PCs, and we are currently identifying the status about existence of leakage, scope of the damage, and investigating the cause," the statement adds. 

Bandai's investigation is ongoing, and it says it will share the results of that investigation "as appropriate." 

Though Bandai never names the hacker, its statement effectively confirms reports that the group ALPHV, otherwise known as BlackCat, hacked Bandai Namco with the intent to ransom data and other confidential details. Malware archive vx-underground reported as much earlier this week. 

It's currently unclear how Bandai Namco's games, or the information of the people who play those games, may have been affected by this hack. The hack is 10 days old at this point and there don't appear to have been any immediate consumer-facing repercussions, but given the implicated hacker group's history of leaking and ransoming information, Bandai Namco will likely be dealing with this headache for some time. 

This is the last thing Bandai Namco needed after working to repair the Dark Souls PC servers which were taken offline for several months due to a security exploit. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.