What just happened? Reports surfaced earlier this week that Bandai Namco had been targeted by a ransomware attack. The group claiming responsibility, known in circles as BlackCat, listed Bandai Namco as a target with the reference "data soon" on Monday. The company has since confirmed rumors that it was recently targeted by hackers and is continuing to investigate the matter.

"On 3rd July, 2022, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. confirmed that it experienced an unauthorized access by third party to the internal systems of several Group companies in Asian regions (excluding Japan)," the company said in a statement issued to Eurogamer.

The publisher added that it has since taken measures to block access to the servers to prevent further attacks. Notably, Bandai Namco didn't rule out the possibility that customer information related to its toys and hobby business in Asian regions was compromised.

Bandai Namco said it is still investigating the scope of the damage and will share new information as appropriate. The company also vowed to work with external organizations to strengthen its security and take the necessary measures to prevent a repeat incident.

Bandai Namco joins a growing list of video game companies that have been targeted in recent memory. Capcom was hit with a ransomware attack in late 2020 that compromised customer and corporate data. In early 2021, hackers got their hands on source code and business documents from CD Projekt Red. A few months later, Electronic Arts was targeted in an attack that resulted in the loss of source code and more.

Image credit: Max Bender