Forza Horizon 6 reviewer may have leaked Steam build, as devs deny pre-load mixup

After a playable Forza Horizon 6 version surfaced, Playground Games has broken its silence. The studio says any player using this build risks “franchise-wide and hardware bans.” Raising more confusion, the developers denied that the build originated from Steam servers. An update from SteamDB suggests a reviewer could be responsible for the leak.

Who leaked the open-world racer?

Nearly 10 days before the Forza Horizon 6 release date, a list of unencrypted files surfaced on SteamDB. Piracy groups then began sharing a cracked version of the racing game. Many fans assumed a developer was culpable for the upload. However, that explanation is now in doubt.

The Microsoft-owned Playground Games provided clarification on social media. It acknowledged the leaked build, but claimed it was not a result of a “pre-load issue”. Some posters accused the studio of deflecting blame. The pirated download spreading immediately after the file list appeared seemed suspect.

Following the developers' statement, SteamDB added more context. The site said that the game was “likely leaked by someone with early access to the build.” More specifically, it believes that a writer of an upcoming Forza Horizon 6 review is at fault. With a working copy, that individual may have exposed the files by using a token dumper.

SteamDB is not a file server

The database reminded readers that it doesn’t actually host games or share tokens that decrypt depot contents. Gamer Mantazzo also provided further details on how a journalist could be the origin of the leak. Syncing an authorized copy with SteamDB would have exposed the unencrypted files.

There is no proof that the same person supplied a playable build to hacker communities. Still, as far back as Halo Reach, Microsoft was burned by sending early copies to websites. With piracy becoming more mainstream, some fans believe Rockstar won’t risk distributing GTA 6 code far ahead of its November debut.

For now, Playground Games isn’t heeding calls to move up the Forza Horizon 6 release date. For players not willing to risk permanent bans, the review embargo should end on May 14th. The early access Premium Edition will launch a day later.