10-07-2003, 08:59 AM
News > Technology
Vivendi's 'Half Life II' code stolen
Firm delays video game's release after hacker breaks into e-mail, steals a third of source code.
October 7, 2003: 7:26 AM EDT
PARIS (Reuters) - The theft of part of its source code has delayed until April 2004 the launch of "Half Life II," the hotly anticipated alien-hunting game of Vivendi Universal Games, a company official said.
"A third of the source code was stolen," VU Games president of international operations Christophe Ramboz told daily Les Echos in its Tuesday edition. "It's serious because it forces us to delay the launch of the game by at least four months, that is to April 2004. Just the time to rewrite parts of the game."
According to Les Echos, a hacker broke into the e-mail of the game's developer, Gabe Newell, the founder of Valve Software, and planted a spying program.
The delay is bad news for VU Games, which suffered a 29 percent fall in revenue and an operating loss of 52 million ($61.36 million) in 2003's first half and was betting on swift holiday sales.
This is the second time the game's release has been postponed.
Last month, VU games postponed the release of "Half-Life II" from Sept. 30 to "an unspecified holiday release."
The game was keenly awaited after last May's games industry trade show, E3. Critics previewing it said it brought a new level of realism to characters and the virtual world in which they move.
The original "Half-Life," released in 1998, is still popular among PC gamers, and a modified version called "Counter-Strike" is widely used in gaming competitions.
"Half-Life II" stars Gordon Freeman, a scientist battling aliens from the planet Xen in a mysterious European locale known only as City 17.
Shares in Vivendi Universal (V: Research, Estimates), the parent company of VU Games, were down 1.2 percent at 16.11 ($19.01) in Paris, in line with the European media sector.
Vivendi's 'Half Life II' code stolen
Firm delays video game's release after hacker breaks into e-mail, steals a third of source code.
October 7, 2003: 7:26 AM EDT
PARIS (Reuters) - The theft of part of its source code has delayed until April 2004 the launch of "Half Life II," the hotly anticipated alien-hunting game of Vivendi Universal Games, a company official said.
"A third of the source code was stolen," VU Games president of international operations Christophe Ramboz told daily Les Echos in its Tuesday edition. "It's serious because it forces us to delay the launch of the game by at least four months, that is to April 2004. Just the time to rewrite parts of the game."
According to Les Echos, a hacker broke into the e-mail of the game's developer, Gabe Newell, the founder of Valve Software, and planted a spying program.
The delay is bad news for VU Games, which suffered a 29 percent fall in revenue and an operating loss of 52 million ($61.36 million) in 2003's first half and was betting on swift holiday sales.
This is the second time the game's release has been postponed.
Last month, VU games postponed the release of "Half-Life II" from Sept. 30 to "an unspecified holiday release."
The game was keenly awaited after last May's games industry trade show, E3. Critics previewing it said it brought a new level of realism to characters and the virtual world in which they move.
The original "Half-Life," released in 1998, is still popular among PC gamers, and a modified version called "Counter-Strike" is widely used in gaming competitions.
"Half-Life II" stars Gordon Freeman, a scientist battling aliens from the planet Xen in a mysterious European locale known only as City 17.
Shares in Vivendi Universal (V: Research, Estimates), the parent company of VU Games, were down 1.2 percent at 16.11 ($19.01) in Paris, in line with the European media sector.
