It’s now believed that hackers may be responsible for The Last of Us Part II leaks that surfaced online last week. Huge spoilers showed up on the internet in what has been described as “a devastating leak” for developer Naughty Dog.
Video showing gameplay, cutscenes and other pivotal visuals are still available to view online despite getting pulled off Reddit and YouTube following copyright claims from Sony.
It was first suspected that the leaks were initiated by a disgruntled Naughty Dog employee but Sony has confirmed that whoever is responsible isn’t affiliated with Sony Interactive Entertainment or Naughty Dog. While Sony’s investigations are ongoing, a new report suggests hackers may have been behind them.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reports having spoken to people with direct knowledge of the incident and found out that a security vulnerability allowed hackers a backdoor into the servers. The leaked footage is likely from an early build, though.
“OK: After talking to two people with direct knowledge of how TLOU2 leaked as well as some Naughty Dog employees, I have a good idea of what happened,” Schreier tweeted on Sunday morning. “Short version: hackers found a security vulnerability in a patch for an older ND game and used it to get access to ND’s servers.
“I think the footage that leaked is from devs playing an early build (I haven’t watched it). Most importantly, rumors of this being an act of protest by a contractor whose pay was robbed are not true. (ND actually extended pay and healthcare benefits for contractors due to covid).”
Sony expressed disappointment over the incident to Eurogamer in the wake of the leaks and urged fans not to view or share the footage if they come across it.
“We’re disappointed that anyone would release unauthorised pre-launch footage of The Last of Us Part 2, disrupt years of Naughty Dog’s hard work and ruin the experience for fans worldwide,” the statement reads.
“We want everyone to have the opportunity to play The Last of Us Part 2 at the same time and ask that viewing or sharing of the unauthorised footage be avoided.”
The Last of Us: Part II is now set for release on June 19 after the launch was delayed earlier this year. It is also up for pre-order again.
Source: Read Full Article