Koei Tecmo Cyberattack Leads Company to Take Down Sites and Forums

Earlier this month, video game publisher Koei Tecmo found itself on the receiving end of a cyberattack, which may have led to compromised passwords, usernames, and addresses for users. According to the publisher, it does not believe that financial data was stolen, but as a precautionary measure, Koei Tecmo's websites and forums in North America and Europe have been taken offline. Fans that have an account with the publisher might want to consider changing similar password and email combinations, and monitor any credit card that might have been used with the site, to be on the safe side. At this time, the publisher has not revealed information on when these sites might end up back online.

According to a report from Japanese outlet Famitsu (translated by PC Gamer), it's possible that information gleaned from the cyberattack may already be on sale on hacking forums. This information remains unconfirmed at this time, but fans that utilize Koei Tecmo websites should keep this in mind. According to Koei Tecmo, 65,000 accounts on the company's European forums may have been impacted, as a result of the attack.

For those unfamiliar with Koei Tecmo, the publisher started as two separate companies, before merging in 2010. Koei Tecmo publishes franchises such as Dead or Alive, Nioh, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but the company is perhaps best known for its Dynasty Warriors series. The first entry in the series released on the original PlayStation in 1997, and has inspired a number of sequels and spin-offs. The latest of these is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on Nintendo Switch. The game released on the platform last month, combining characters from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with the gameplay style that has been popularized by the Dynasty Warriors franchise. Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is also set to release in 2021 on Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox and PlayStation platforms.

Unfortunately, cyberattacks such as this one have become increasingly common over the last few years. Notably, Capcom suffered a similar attack earlier this year. Hopefully, fans won't have to worry about stolen financial information, and the publisher can get its sites and forums back in action sooner, rather than later.

Do you regularly use Koei Tecmo sites and forums? Are you concerned about the cyberattack? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!