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Hackers allegedly hit EA for over 700Gbs of data including Frostbite & FIFA source code

Reportedly, hackers got into a huge cache of data at Electronic Arts, though EA claims no user data was compromised in the incident.

TJ Denzer

June 10, 2021 10:55 AM

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These days, we have increasingly seen issues with groups of hackers digging into major projects or companies to pull any interesting data they can out of them. It can be as small as leaks or as huge as ransoms for various data and source code, lest hackers supposedly sell or release data on public databases.  Such seems to be the case with Electronic Arts if recent reports are to be believed. Hackers apparently got into EA’s databases and stole around 780Gbs of data, including source code for FIFA 21 and the Frostbite Engine.

This report comes from over at the Motherboard corner of Vice. According to Motherboard, hackers in a forum claimed they had slipped into Electronic Arts’ corporate servers and taken around 780Gbs of data relating to FIFA 21, its matchmaking code, and source code and internal tools for the Frostbite Engine, which forms the foundation for games like Battlefield. The hackers have apparently taken the information and offered it for sale at various hacker forums and websites.

Electronic Arts itself reportedly confirmed that the data breach did indeed happen and company data was stolen. However, the publishing giant also expressed that the data stolen would not compromise user privacy and credentials or the company’s games.

“We are investigating a recent incident of intrusion into our network where a limited amount of game source code and related tools were stolen," an EA spokesperson shared 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.”

Still, it’s quite a chunk of data that was taken, and especially as FIFA 21 continues to be an active game and Battlefield 2042 was just announced, though the latter is seemingly not using the Frostbite Engine. Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story for further updates and information.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.