'Battlefield' publisher EA investigating recent data breach

Hackers reportedly stole a wealth of data, including source codes for popular title 'Fifa 21'

EA said it does not expect the breach to have an impact on its games or business and said no player data was accessed. AFP

Electronic Arts (EA) is investigating a recent data breach in which some of its game source code and related tools were stolen, the video game publisher said on Thursday, becoming the latest victim of a spate of cyber attacks on US companies.

The publisher of titles like Battlefield, Apex Legends and Madden NFL 21 said it does not expect the breach to have an impact on its games or business and that it was working with law enforcement and other experts as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Motherboard earlier reported that hackers had stolen a wealth of data, including source codes for popular title Fifa 21 and source code and tools for Frostbite engine, a software development toolset for game creators.

Overall, hackers stole about 780 gigabytes of data and also advertised it for sale on several underground hacking forum posts, the report said.

"No player data was accessed, and we have no reason to believe there is any risk to player privacy," the company stated.

Hacking activity against corporations in the US and other countries has increased as digital thieves have been able to take advantage of security weakened by work-from-home policies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The breach comes on the heels of high-profile cyber attacks on meatpacking company JBS USA and Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the US.

Shares of EA fell as much as 2.4 per cent to a session low of $142.31.