8 Video Game Leaks That Changed EVERYTHING
2. Half-Life 2
Video game leaks simply don't get more insane than this.
In October 2003, mere months before Half-Life 2 was due to release, the game's source code was leaked online by a hacker, making an unfinished version of the game available to the masses.
The incomplete nature of the build caused significant backlash among the Half-Life fandom, which was already growing impatient waiting for the game's release, and far worse, it massively damaged morale at developer Valve, causing development to further slow down.
Ultimately Half-Life 2 finally released in November 2004 to universal acclaim, while the hacker, Axel Gembe, was arrested as part of an FBI sting operation and sentenced to two years' probation.
Beyond demonstrating how utterly devastating a leaked build can be to a developer in the final stretch of making a game, it also caused Valve and other developers to seriously beef up their internal security.
Additionally, Valve instituted a new rule that journalists would have to attend their office in-person to demo games they're working on.