Gaming How are games prereleased?

[shakirmoledina]

If a game has been dumped (by pirates) and sometimes hacked before the release date, how do they do so?
Is it that they work in a shop/gaming store and hence have access to the game earlier? Or is it that shops sell the games before the official release date? Or is it that they steal the game?
Edit: I have found many answers but difficult to choose the best. Can someone combine as many as possible into one for me to select it. Thanks

 

[ByteMunch]

Anyone with access to the games early I guess... It says at the bottom of plenty of *.nfo files that they would like people that can get games early to contact them

 

[Bunie]

the devs get to take it home for testing. someones the devs themselves then put it out, and sometimes a child of a developer finds it, and gives it to his friends (and so on)

 

[mkoo]

large stores stock some games early.
an employee opens a box and copies it.