The Battle Cats developer PONOS has become the latest high profile corporate victim of online hacking.
In a statement released on November 19th, PONOS revealed that a hacking group called The OutCats had stolen 100 million Cat Food from a warehouse and taken control of the company’s social media accounts.
In a defiant video posted on the hijacked accounts, The OutCats have revealed that their membership consists of individuals rejected by The Battle Cats nine years ago.
Seeking revenge, The OutCats purportedly stole 100 million Cat Food in order to distribute the contraband to players, announ cing that everybody who logs in to the game will automatically receive 999 cans of Cat Food.
Watch the full ransom video below.
Released in 2014 for Android and iOS smartphones, The Battle Cats is an acclaimed tower defence strategy game that has amassed more than 85 million downloads in its nine-year history. It’s available on iOS and Android.
It sees players taking on the role of a commander, leading cats in battles against multiple different enemy types, including commonplace animals and bizarre creatures that bear little relation to living fauna, domesticated or otherwise.
As players progress, they gain access to new Battle Cats with a range of abilities. In order to collect these feline warriors, however, players must spend Cat Food to open Capsules.
For many outside PONOS’s Kyoto headquarters, the hack carried out by The OutCats is certain to be a welcome development, allowing players to swell their Cat Food reserves and strengthen their Battle Cat armies free of charge.
However, the gravity of the breach is reflected in the sombre tone of PONOS’s official statement, reproduced in full below.
19 November 2023 – 3:00PM PST
BREAKING: PONOS announces theft of 100 million Cat Food cans
PONOS Corporation has today launched an independent review of security after it was discovered 100 million Cat Food cans were missing from The Battle Cats warehouse.
A representative of PONOS was contacted this morning by an alleged criminal organisation claiming responsibility. Further investigation revealed more than 100 million Cat Food cans had indeed been stolen by the syndicate, whose demands are yet unknown.
This matter is currently under investigation, but we will provide more information over the coming days as more details come to light.
PONOS Social Media Channels
X: @PONOS_EN
Instagram: @battlecatsofficial
Facebook: The Battle Cats
