Bandai Namco

Bandai Namco Entertainment is partnering with Wayfarer Studios to bring Pac-Man to the big screen. The publisher announced that a live-action film adaptation of one of gaming’s most iconic mascots is in development.

The Pac-Man adaptation will be an original film, hailing from producer Chuck Williams from Lightbeam Entertainment. Williams most recently produced 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog. Wayfarer Studios co-founder Justin Baldoni is set to produce on behalf of the studio alongside Manu Gargi and Andrew Calof.

Pac-Man first launched in 1980 in the U.S. Over the decades, the yellow pellet-eating eponymous character has become an icon in pop culture. The Pac-Man franchise is still considered one of the best-selling and highest-grossing video game franchises. Its latest entry is Pac-Man Museum+, a compilation of 14 games.

Pac-Man is not known for its story. Largely, players traverse a maze of pellets, avoiding three maniacal ghosts. Thus, it will be interesting to see where the film will take the character and how a live-action perspective fits into the film.

The project is just starting development so there isn’t a writing team, director, or cast members attached. We’ll have to wait and see who will end up voicing Pac-Man himself. Who knows, maybe it’ll be Chris Pratt once he’s done voicing Mario in Nintendo’s animated film adaptation.

This isn’t the first time Pac-Man is being adapted. The franchise has spawned two television shows over the years. A Hanna-Barbera-produced series ran for 44 episodes in the early 80s. Additionally, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures ran for three seasons between 2013 and 2015. This animated series is available on Netflix in Canada.

Image credit: Bandai Namco Entertainment America

Via: The Hollywood Reporter

Notable hacker group BlackCat hit Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco with a ransomware attack, as first reported by Kotaku.

News of the hack comes via a tweet from ‘vx-underground’ (seen below), a group that monitors malware on the internet. Bandai Namco has confirmed the hack and says that it’s still investigating the extent of the damage, including if customer info leaked.

ALPHV ransomware group (alternatively referred to as BlackCat ransomware group) claims to have ransomed Bandai Namco.

Bandai Namco is an international video game publisher. Bandai Namco video game franchises include Ace Combat, Dark Souls, Dragon Ball*, Soulcaliber, and more. pic.twitter.com/hxZ6N2kSxl

— vx-underground (@vxunderground) July 11, 2022

Below is Bandai Namco’s full statement regarding the ransomware attack:

“On 3rd July, 2022, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. confirmed that it experienced an unauthorized access by third party to the internal systems of several Group companies in Asian regions (excluding Japan),” the publisher told Eurogamer in a statement. It continued:

After we confirmed the unauthorised access, we have taken measures such as blocking access to the servers to prevent the damage from spreading. In addition, there is a possibility that customer information related to the Toys and Hobby Business in Asian regions (excluding Japan) was included in the servers and PCs, and we are currently identifying the status about existence of leakage, scope of the damage, and investigating the cause.

We will continue to investigate the cause of this incident and will disclose the investigation results as appropriate. We will also work with external organizations to strengthen security throughout the Group and take measures to prevent recurrence.

We offer our sincerest apologies to everyone involved for any complications or concerns caused by this incident.”

BlackCat is best known for being involved in the Colonial Pipeline hack, but the group has also targeted school districts and other public institutions.

Source: @vxunderground Via: Kotaku