Playground Games reportedly uploaded 155GB of unencrypted files about 10 days before the racing game's planned 19 May global release, with social media posts showing alleged gameplay footage.
Reports said players could download the build, explore thousands of assets and run the game shortly after the files appeared, though details remained based largely on online chatter and forum posts.
The studio had not commented at publication. The incident echoes a similar Steam preload leak involving Death Stranding 2 in March, highlighting risks in game release and encryption processes.
Beyond financial loss, how do pre-release leaks damage a game's intended artistic reveal and player experience?
With multiple major game leaks this year, is Steam's platform becoming a liability for secure launches?
As new hacks instantly bypass protection, is the multi-million dollar DRM industry now obsolete for game publishers?