Honor of Kings
In a recent announcement by the official Weibo account of Honor of Kings, MESSAGE Technology, a content provider of the popular mobile game, addressed the issue of leaked content and provided an explanation of the incident. The company, also known as 麦思吉网络科技有限公司 in Chinese, revealed that due to inadequate employee management training between December 2022 and January 2023, a former employee named Zhou leaked unreleased content of the game.
The statement from MESSAGE Technology explained that during a period when there were few employees present after working hours, Zhou, who's one of the employees, took advantage of a system vulnerability and downloaded content that exceeded the authorized scope of work and project permissions. He then illegally transmitted this content to a third party, resulting in the premature leakage of unreleased material. This incident caused financial losses to the project partners and negatively impacted the gaming experience of Honor of Kings users. Furthermore, Zhou also made inappropriate comments in online groups, causing a negative influence among users.
To address the situation, MESSAGE Technology has terminated Zhou's employment and plans to pursue legal action to recover the losses incurred by the project team and the company. Additionally, severe penalties have been imposed on the immediate supervisor of the department, including the forfeiture of quarterly bonuses, full salary, and performance-based pay. The supervisor will also face a suspension of one promotion assessment. The deputy general manager, who directly oversees the department, will receive similar penalties, including the forfeiture of quarterly bonuses, full salary, performance-based pay, and the annual bonus for the current year.
MESSAGE's announcement
In addition to the internal penalties, MESSAGE Technology expressed its willingness to accept a heavy penalty equivalent to three times the annual revenue from all orders placed with the company for the losses caused by this incident.
Established in July 2019, MESSAGE Technology primarily focuses on software development, game operation, technical support, and IT services for online games, mobile games, and internet software. Honor of Kings is one of the company's most successful and popular games, boasting a massive player base in China and other parts of the world.
This incident serves as a reminder for companies in the gaming industry to prioritize employee training and security measures to prevent similar leaks and unauthorized activities. The actions taken by MESSAGE Technology demonstrate their commitment to maintaining the integrity of their games and ensuring a positive gaming experience for their users.
Source: Weibo