The Insomniac data breach disclosed a significant agreement between Sony Group Corp. (NYSE: SONY) and The Walt Disney Company's (NYSE: DIS) Marvel, outlining exclusive rights for Sony to produce X-Men games until Dec. 31, 2035.
The Rhysida ransomware group leaked over 1TB of internal data from Sony's Insomniac Games, which comprised 1.3 million files.
This occurred after Insomniac Games failed to meet the ransom deadline set by Rhysida, resulting in 98% of the data now being available on the darknet, Benzinga reported.
According to IGN, the leaked documents revealed detailed terms of the deal, preventing Marvel from releasing or announcing any X-Men games on various platforms and restricting the use of X-Men characters as a competitive edge in gaming.
While the agreement allows X-Men characters in certain Marvel games and retains rights for children's games and select 1990s X-Men titles, it grants Sony exclusive rights to develop X-Men games for the next 12 years.
Specific financial and developmental details, including the release schedule for upcoming titles such as Marvel's Wolverine in 2026 and the first X-Men game in 2030, were outlined in the leaked slides.
Concerns Over Gaming Strategies Post-Acquisition
Moreover, the cyberattack unveiled internal concerns within Sony regarding Microsoft Corp's (NASDAQ: MSFT) competitive strategy after its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc (NASDAQ: ATVI). Sony labeled Microsoft's move as "the leapfrog," indicating potential competition surpassing Sony's current gaming pillars.
The leaked slides highlighted Microsoft's gain of strong live service games, mobile scale, and the Battle.net PC storefront through the acquisition, IGN reported.
Furthermore, Sony expressed unease about the "Call of Duty" threat anticipated in 2027, which currently remains on PlayStation due to an antitrust deal ending in 2027, posing a significant risk to their subscription service, PlayStation Plus.
The Tokyo-based company admitted their "pillars are already dated and behind the competition," expressing frustration over the challenge of achieving the ideal game subscription model.
Sony criticized the expectation of providing free top-tier games, deeming it an "unsustainable model" where subscription revenue fails to cover investment costs.
The contrast in strategies between Sony and Microsoft was emphasized: Microsoft launches games simultaneously on PC and Xbox via Game Pass, whereas Sony prefers a staggered release, initially on PlayStation and later on other platforms.