An anonymous employee has threatened to undermine Motorsports Games if unpaid wages are not resolved.
Racing car game publisher and esports organizer Motorsports Games has been threatened with a security breach of their game source code. This threat by an anonymous employee comes as the latest development in a looming legal battle and ongoing publicity scandal regarding unpaid wages as well as the company’s fundraising proposals.
Over 30 employees at Motorsports Games’ Russian office have reportedly not been paid since last October due to Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, and are threatening legal action if outstanding wages are not paid by January 25th. This information was revealed to Insider Gaming by a company informant. Said employees were ordered to relocate from Russia to Georgia without assistance in order to receive their salaries, the contracts of which would be renewed for 20% less wages.
Evidently, this is not enough for one anonymous employee, who has threatened to release the source code for four of the publisher’s titles, which include NASCAR: Ignition 21, NASCAR: HEAT 5, Indycar, and KartKraft, in response to lack of any noticeable movement on the developer’s part.
This past November the company’s entire board of directors resigned over an SEC filing regarding company fundraising efforts. Finances are a key point of contention for the developer, as in 2022 it reported a net loss of $7.5 million in the crowded racing game market. The struggle to stay competitive in the face of existing racing giants and other rising games is fierce.
Things appear grim for the publisher, which primarily relies on developing NASCAR games to bring in revenue. Nine of the eleven titles named on their website are built around the US racing sport. Motorsport only recently took over publishing NASCAR games in 2020, and given this battle and their financial troubles, it is unclear how much longer they could hold the license.
It may not even matter, because if the situation is not resolved soon, a lone rogue actor may release the code. This could be catastrophic, both for Motorsports Games’ ability to develop, and its already endangered bottom line. If there is any worry at Motorsport, they do not show it. Their website press page and Twitter feed remain silent on the subject, instead choosing to stay the course for the time being, though they may be forced to come in for a pit stop very soon.
