Battlefield and Madden NFL publisher EA says source code was stolen, as US Senate announces probe into recent cyberattacks

Electronic Arts Inc is investigating a recent data breach, where some of its game source code and related tools were stolen, the video game publisher said on Thursday, becoming the latest victim of a spate of cyberattacks on US companies.

The publisher of titles such as Battlefield, Apex Legends and Madden NFL 21 said it does not expect the breach to have an impact on its games or business and that it was working with law enforcement officials and other experts as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

The same day, US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said he is initiating a review of recent high-profile cyberattacks on governments and businesses to find out whether a legislative response is needed.

“Today I am asking chairman Gary Peters of our Homeland Security Committee and our other relevant committee chairs to begin a governmentwide review of these attacks and determine what legislation may be needed to counter the threat of cybercrime and bring the fight to the cyber criminals.”

Vice’s Motherboard earlier reported that hackers had stolen a wealth of data from EA, including source code for popular title Fifa 21 and source code and tools for Frostbite engine, a software development toolset for game creators.

Overall, hackers stole about 780 gigabytes of data and also advertised it for sale on several underground hacking forum posts, according to the report.