North Korea video game Dear Leader! on hold after hacks

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/13/-sp-developers-north-korea-video-game-hack-dear-leader

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The US developers of a video game inviting players to fight Americans as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have cancelled a fundraising campaign for the project after falling victim to “a hack inspired by the attack on Sony”.

The controversial “retro style run ‘n’ gun” video game named Glorious Leader! had attracted widespread media attention when it was announced in May last year, but won’t be published any time soon according to MoneyHorse, which also blamed financial troubles for the decision to suspend the project.

“Over the holidays we were victims of a hack inspired by the attack on Sony,” the Atlanta-based firm said in a statement posted on its Kickstarter page last week. “The hackers destroyed data pertaining to Glorious Leader! and other projects we had in development and locked us out of our own computers and wesbite (sic).”

The company said it was “not the first time we have been targeted because of Glorious Leader!” and that the team felt it was “time to reevaluate our commitment” to the game.

The firm cited money troubles, saying it had “also made mistakes in our pledge levels and rewards” during its fundraising efforts. The project had raised $16,816 (£11,090) from 570 backers, less than a third of its $55,000 target.

“It is now evident that our funding goals will not be met, so we are cancelling our Kickstarter campaign,” the statement said. “We thank our fans and supporters, and we are sorry to let you down,” it added.

In another statement explaining a previous outage, the firm said it was unlikely that the hacking group Guardians of Peace (GOP), which claimed responsibility for the Sony Pictures attack, was involved in the activities against MoneyHorse.

The FBI has blamed North Korea for the attack on Sony Pictures in November, which released documents including personal data and emails of Sony employees, and is regarded as one of the most damaging cyber attacks against a company on US soil. The hackers had demanded that Sony Pictures cancel the release of The Interview, a film telling the story of a fictional CIA plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un.

MoneyHorse said it believed the cyber attacks against its firm were perpetrated by a “copycat” and had “no reason to believe that this was done by the GOP or anyone affiliated with North Korea”.

“We are sure that this is a hoax perpetrated by amateurs… It appears to be an opportunistic copycat, as we have been the target of hacking attempts in the past,” the statement added.

The game, which was to feature seven levels and allow gamers to “defeat waves of imperialists, combat over-the-top bosses and ride unicorns,” was expected to be released in November but ran into delays.

NK News spoke to MoneyHorse in December when Sony Pictures had cancelled the release of The Interview after the hackers warned audiences to stay away from screenings of the film. It later reversed its decision.

“This has been a little scary,” Jeff Miller, lead developer of the game, said. “We weren’t too worried until Sony caved (or the movie theatres, depending on what the truth is). At the same time, we want to work this into the game.”

“Unlike The Interview... we are not solely skewering North Korea and their government,” he said. “We are poking fun at all sides and all people involved.”

“Our main goal is to highlight the ridiculous nature of the whole situation. How much time, effort, and capital are all sides wasting on posturing? Is it making things better? Not in my opinion.”

A version of this article first appeared on NK News