Snapchat's future business plans were apparently leaked during the recent Sony Pictures Entertainment hack, Digital Spy said.

The picture messaging service was affected due to the film studio's CEO Michael Lynton's position on the Snapchat board of directors.

Leaked emails from Lynton indicate that Snapchat secretly acquired Vergence Labs for $15 million earlier this year, a firm that makes Google Glass-esque headsets.

The breached messages also reveal that Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel was planning to launch a record label using the messaging service as a vehicle for promoting artists, Business Insider reports.

Furthermore, they appear to confirm reports that Snapchat rejected a big-money acquisition bid from Facebook last year.

Spiegel sent a letter to all of his employees in the wake of the Sony hack, expressing his dismay at the impact it has had on his company.

"I felt like I was going to cry all morning," Spiegel wrote, vowing that Snapchat will continue its efforts to "change the world because this is not the one we want to live in".

A group calling itself 'Guardians of Peace' has claimed responsibility for the Sony Pictures hacks, stating that it was motivated by objections to Seth Rogen-fronted comedy The Interview.

Sony bowed to the pressure yesterday (December 17) and pulled the movie from release after cinema chains cancelled their plans to show it following a terror threat.