Animoca Brands to Cover Losses From ‘Phantom Galaxies’ Discord Hack

Hong Kong-based gaming software and venture capital firm Animoca Brands said it will cover users’ losses that occurred because of a Nov. 19 hack of the Discord server for its upcoming “Phantom Galaxies” game.

• Animoca Brands said it will cover the loss of 265 ETH, worth about $1.1 million, from the hack involving a game called “Phantom Galaxies” that is being developed by its Australia-based subsidiary, Blowfish Studios.
• Animoca noted there was no evidence that smart contracts were compromised, and no funds were stolen from the game or from its developer or publisher.
• According to the firm, last week hackers managed to access the Discord account of Phantom Galaxies and take over its server. The hackers then posted a fraudulent announcement claiming that the game was launching a non-fungible token (NFT) minting event.
• The hackers directed users to a website charging users a 0.1 ETH fee that sent the funds on to the hackers’ Ethereum address. The total sent was 265 ETH, or roughly, $1.1 million.
• The company said the method for compensating users for their lost ether will be determined after discussions have been held by the Phantom Galaxies community.
• Animoca Brands and Blowfish have apologized for the incident.

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