In December 2023, ransomware group Rhysida published files it said it had stolen from Insomniac Games, the Sony-owned studio behind Marvel’s Spider-Man and Wolverine. The leak was not proof of a confirmed Sony-wide roadmap: Axios reported that the documents had not been verified. Separately, Microsoft completed its Activision Blizzard acquisition in October 2023 after a lengthy regulatory fight over competition and Call of Duty access; the FTC’s administrative complaint was later dismissed in May 2025.
What did the Insomniac Games leak expose?
Axios reported on December 19, 2023, that Rhysida had posted 1.67 terabytes of data—more than 1.3 million files, according to the report—on its leak site. Axios also reported that the group had demanded a $2 million ransom and that Insomniac did not pay it. These are reported figures, not counts independently confirmed by Sony or law enforcement.
According to Axios, the material included game roadmaps, artwork, budgets, internal Slack messages, passport information, royalty and bonus information, and details relating to Marvel’s Wolverine. The combination of creative plans and sensitive personal and business information made the incident more than a leak of game announcements: it was a reported ransomware intrusion with potential privacy and security consequences for people connected to the studio.
Axios cautioned that the documents had not been verified and noted that hacker groups may not fully understand the data they publish. The reporting did not establish that every leaked file was authentic, complete, or current. An apparent project or release window in the material should therefore be treated as an unverified document claim, not as Sony’s approved schedule. The breach was reported at Insomniac Games, which Sony owns; it does not establish that every Sony division was compromised.
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How was the leak different from the Activision acquisition dispute?
The two developments involve Sony and the video-game business, but they are separate stories. The Insomniac incident concerned a reported cyberattack and disclosure of studio files. The Microsoft-Activision dispute concerned whether a major acquisition could affect competition and game access. One does not verify or explain the other.
The FTC argued that owning Activision Blizzard could give Microsoft the ability and incentive to harm competition in console gaming, game subscriptions, and cloud gaming. Those were the agency’s allegations about potential effects, not findings that Microsoft had carried out the predicted conduct. Microsoft presented the deal as a way to broaden access to games across platforms. Neither party’s position, by itself, establishes the deal’s actual effects on consumers.
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What happened to the Microsoft-Activision deal and FTC case?
| Date | Event | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| July 15, 2023 | Microsoft and Sony executed a Call of Duty agreement, as recorded in a January 2024 FTC order. | The order describes the agreement as purporting to offer Call of Duty on PlayStation and PlayStation Plus. It does not disclose all contract terms. |
| October 13, 2023 | Microsoft and Activision closed the acquisition, according to the FTC order. | The transaction was completed; it was no longer merely proposed. |
| October 13, 2023 | The UK regulator approved the transaction after Microsoft restructured its cloud-rights proposal, the Associated Press reported. | The reported remedy gave Ubisoft cloud-streaming rights for current and new Activision games released over the following 15 years. It was not a transfer to Ubisoft of all rights to Activision games. |
| May 22, 2025 | The FTC’s public case page lists an order dismissing its administrative complaint. | This is the docketed procedural outcome for that complaint; it is not a finding that every forecast about competition or consumer effects was correct or incorrect. |
The FTC’s public case page describes the agency’s competition theory and records the later dismissal. The timeline matters: arguments made while the transaction was pending should not be presented as though the deal remains proposed or the administrative complaint remains open.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did Sony and Microsoft agree about Call of Duty?
The January 2024 FTC order records that Microsoft and Sony signed their agreement on July 15, 2023, and characterizes it as purporting to offer Call of Duty on PlayStation and PlayStation Plus. The cited order does not set out all terms, so it does not support broader claims about the agreement’s duration, every covered game, or the details of its availability.
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At the October 2023 closing, the Associated Press reported both Microsoft’s position that it wanted Activision games on more platforms and the FTC’s continued view that the deal threatened competition. Microsoft’s Xbox chief Phil Spencer said: “Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here – and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise.” That statement describes Microsoft’s position; it is not independent proof of future availability on any particular platform.
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What should readers take from the reporting?
- For game announcements: treat apparent dates and roadmaps in the Insomniac files as unverified unless Sony or Insomniac confirms them.
- For privacy and security: the reported cache included information beyond game plans, including passport and compensation-related material.
- For the acquisition: distinguish the FTC’s allegations and advocacy filings from docketed orders and the completed transaction. The deal closed in October 2023, and the FTC case page lists dismissal of its administrative complaint in May 2025.
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