Forza Horizon 6 leaks online after Steam preload data was uploaded without encryption

Night007 · May 12, 2026

I posted this first. Lol.

Exnor · May 12, 2026

Kinda stupid to go online with your account and an "leaked" copy of the game.

jos010 · May 12, 2026

what a bunch of idiots lol

Night007 · May 12, 2026

Exnor said:
Kinda stupid to go online with your account and an "leaked" copy of the game.

They got hwid banned too. So even if they make a new account they're still banned unless they spoof it (and hope it never fails or their new account gets banned) or they get a new PC.

The Real Jdbye · May 13, 2026

ChronosNotashi said:
We've both been pointing that out. Pirates are getting dumber with each generation. First they ignored the golden rule of "Mum's the word"/"Zip your lips, numbnuts", then they started deliberately streaming pirated games and advertising their stashes (there was even a news article here of one person getting sued for it), and now they're going into online servers before everyone who would acquire the game through legal means - and getting understandably banned in response (and acting like they're being unfairly punished as a result).

Just giving companies and the FBI more and more reason to cracked down on piracy. It's these newer waves of pirates that are contributing to things getting worse for everyone else.

Post automatically merged: May 12, 2026

The only difference here is that this scenario doesn't involve a Nintendo game, so there's absolutely no reason whatsoever for even the most neutral of people to defend these morons. They're doing something stupid because they think they're untouchable, and getting rightfully punished for it.

No, they haven't. This stuff used to be normal, everybody did it, and we didn't get banned.
The only thing that has changed is companies will now ban you.
I remember when Mario Kart Wii leaked a week early, I played 1000 online matches in that one week, against nothing but Japanese people and some of my friends that had also downloaded the leak.

PatrickD85 · May 13, 2026

Welll now that's a ban hammer.

HideoKojima · May 13, 2026

Windows was banned

Night007 said:
They got hwid banned too. So even if they make a new account they're still banned unless they spoof it (and hope it never fails or their new account gets banned) or they get a new PC.

Hypervisor

Bladexdsl · May 13, 2026

The Real Jdbye said:
No, they haven't. This stuff used to be normal, everybody did it, and we didn't get banned.
The only thing that has changed is companies will now ban you.
I remember when Mario Kart Wii leaked a week early, I played 1000 online matches in that one week, against nothing but Japanese people and some of my friends that had also downloaded the leak.

it may have been like that before (also nintendo are morons to begin with they didn't even give a fuck about stopping cheaters and hacks) but now things have changed you need more common sense and you have seen what happens if you don't have it!

Blue · May 14, 2026

Bladexdsl said:
how fucking stupid can you be to play a game online before it's out?! i've said it before and i'll say it again peoples IQ are dropping every year. these kid pirates these days they have no fucking clue whatsoever

As a victim of the Pokémon Sun/Moon console ban when I was 12, I agree.
In that era, until late 3DS/early Switch, it felt like you could do anything and get away with it, but this was next-level stupid

ChronosNotashi · May 14, 2026

The Real Jdbye said:
No, they haven't. This stuff used to be normal, everybody did it, and we didn't get banned.
The only thing that has changed is companies will now ban you.
I remember when Mario Kart Wii leaked a week early, I played 1000 online matches in that one week, against nothing but Japanese people and some of my friends that had also downloaded the leak.

It doesn't matter that bans weren't occurring back then on consoles - online console gaming was still relatively young. The consoles from literally the generation before the PS3/Wii needed separate ethernet adapters to go online for the few games that supported it (only the failed Dreamcast and loss leader XBox had functionality built-in, and you had to pay a subscription for the latter). People were already getting banned in online PC games and MMOs for breaking rules and ToS back then, too.

But once the consoles started banning people for breaking rules, you would think the newer pirates would learn to, I don't know, STOP GOING ONLINE BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE. But no, even today they're too stupid to figure it out, because they're young idiots who think they're untouchable. When anyone that's dipped even a toe into piracy since the Sony v. Connectix days and earlier know better and follow the Golden Rule: "Mum's the word. The walls have lawyers."

Skv0ra · May 14, 2026

InsaneNutter said:
Nothing new there sadly, people were doing that 20 years ago back in 2006 when Gears of War leaked early on the Xbox 360.

Even before that French version of Halo 2 leaked around 3 weeks before release, 100's of people we're playing that on Xlink Kai. Granted you couldn't get banned for playing a system link game over the internet though.

Hell, Halo 3 leaked like a week prior to release and I proudly had a college offline party with its multiplayer. Then I attended the launch, got my base copy TO play online and like 2 vouchers to Cici's Pizza from the manager who brought a ton for the launch at Gamestop. Good old days!

Retrojunkies · May 14, 2026

More like Microsoft forgot to encrypt and Steam just uploaded what was provided so they can get xbot fans to boycot steam machine.

Microsoft can sue valve for damages in lost revenues in the hope it'll financially impact production of steam machine.

But judge will throw it out as Microsoft will evidently lack evidence that they've ever made a profit on their games as.it sold more copies since going third party and still fails to be profitable.

In turn, judge counter sues Microsoft for wasting his time.

InsaneNutter · May 14, 2026

Skv0ra said:
Hell, Halo 3 leaked like a week prior to release and I proudly had a college offline party with its multiplayer. Then I attended the launch, got my base copy TO play online and like 2 vouchers to Cici's Pizza from the manager who brought a ton for the launch at Gamestop. Good old days!

I think the Xbox 360 era really was the peak of games leaking early. It almost became the norm for high profile games to leak up to 3 weeks early.

Then when it became possible for 360's to run unsigned code we had all these arcade games leaking that hadn't even been announced yet!

Looking back its crazy that was the norm back then, I know it still happens to some degree today, but nothing like it was back in the 360 era though.

lightwo · May 14, 2026

InsaneNutter said:
I think the Xbox 360 era really was the peak of games leaking early. It almost became the norm for high profile games to leak up to 3 weeks early.

Then when it became possible for 360's to run unsigned code we had all these arcade games leaking that hadn't even been announced yet!

Looking back its crazy that was the norm back then, I know it still happens to some degree today, but nothing like it was back in the 360 era though.

All the stories about PartnerNet marketplace leaks really made me wish I was around in the console space back then, such high-profile leaks must have been a blast!

lordofcombo · May 14, 2026

Nincompoopdo said:
Microsoft never use Denuvo on any of their games, so it will be pirated like crazy before the game is officially launch.

Denuvo is dead with the new bypass,company is gonna crash very soon.That hypervisor bypass is like Zed versus Marcellus wallace butt.

InsaneNutter · May 14, 2026

lightwo said:
All the stories about PartnerNet marketplace leaks really made me wish I was around in the console space back then, such high-profile leaks must have been a blast!

It really was the wild west! you might find this interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Underground

I think they were responsible for the Gears 3 leak a few months before the game released, however I’m not 100% on that. Either way you have the context for these interviews below which are pretty interesting:

Part 1: https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/45/
Part 2: https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/46/

Marc_LFD · May 14, 2026

InsaneNutter said:
I think the Xbox 360 era really was the peak of games leaking early. It almost became the norm for high profile games to leak up to 3 weeks early.

Then when it became possible for 360's to run unsigned code we had all these arcade games leaking that hadn't even been announced yet!

Looking back its crazy that was the norm back then, I know it still happens to some degree today, but nothing like it was back in the 360 era though.

I love that on the 360 we can add demos and full games (without requiring a license) to the console, oh, and also use modded saves.

I remember using a modded save just to free roam in GTA SA HD (that version is garbage, but it was still fun to play).

CobaltMN · May 14, 2026

InsaneNutter said:
I think the Xbox 360 era really was the peak of games leaking early. It almost became the norm for high profile games to leak up to 3 weeks early.

Then when it became possible for 360's to run unsigned code we had all these arcade games leaking that hadn't even been announced yet!

Looking back its crazy that was the norm back then, I know it still happens to some degree today, but nothing like it was back in the 360 era though.

Honestly it seems the xbox360 & ps3 era were peak gaming in a lot of ways. Early game leaks, no live-service microtransacton slopfest, Microsoft wasn't piloted by bug people and actually kinda knew what the kentucky-fried fuck they were doing. (Except for when they didn't)

This is objectivly true, and totally not an opinion I have mostly because I was a kid at the time and don't remember the drama.

Viri · May 15, 2026

ChibiMofo said:
Nintendo legal team is so jealous!

At least Nintendo had an excuse of retailers leaking their games from random big box stores, this is just straight up Microsoft leaking their own game digitally. lol

Skv0ra · May 15, 2026

InsaneNutter said:
It really was the wild west! you might find this interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Underground

I think they were responsible for the Gears 3 leak a few months before the game released, however I’m not 100% on that. Either way you have the context for these interviews below which are pretty interesting:

Part 1: https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/45/
Part 2: https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/46/

Broke college students could still get used laptops in that era, so getting a $300 Xbox as a known gaming system and wanting to use its H/W for anything was helluva ambitious, but then again, MIT kids are absolutely bonkers. Becoming famous and rich, on top of a personal milestone, and treating the scene to the sweetness of ISOs.

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