An almost completely finished version of Horizon Forbidden West has reportedly leaked ahead of its release, with some people now playing it. Horizon Forbidden West is due to launch in February on PlayStation 4 and 5, and is one of the most highly-anticipated sequels of the year. Despite launching in a month packed with AAA games including Dying Light 2 and Elden Ring, the next adventure of Aloy is still high on many players' wishlists.
Sony is no stranger to large gaming leaks, having famously struggled against a wave of story spoilers for The Last of Us' sequel in 2020. Just weeks ahead of its launch, crucial plot points were shared across the internet, serving as an early indicator that the game and its story would be pretty controversial. The Last of Us Part 2 spoiler leak led to controversy from fans, with many unhappy with the story beats, even out of context, which led to several months of discourse before the game had even been released. In the digital era, spoilers can be hard to avoid, with fans advised to take caution when browsing online following leaks.
A new report from VGC verifies PS4 screenshots of Horizon Forbidden West, leaked from a playable build of the game which is said to be nearly complete. The photos have been removed for copyright reasons, and according to Twitter's theDualSense, were accessed via a jailbroken PS4. It's not clear how many people currently have access to the sequel, but the screenshots do seem to confirm Horizon Forbidden West looks good on PS4, something many fans were concerned about in light of the PS5's release. The build that's floating around is largely complete, but there are some missing art assets.
As of right now, it's believed that the early look at Horizon Forbidden West hasn't been shared to any file-sharing websites, which means the majority of people likely won't be playing it. That being said, it's very possible that spoilers will be shared in the coming weeks and days. With over a month until release, it's very possible someone will share some sensitive information. It's likely Sony will try and contain the breach as much as it can, with more details on how the leaks occurred also likely.
Horizon Forbidden West is set to be one of the biggest PS5 games to date, so it would be rather upsetting if it somehow got ruined before it was released. Guerilla Games has been hyping up Horizon Forbidden West's open-world for quite some time, so there will still be lots to enjoy even if the story gets spoiled, but many have waited quite some time for Aloy's next outing. Only time will tell if Sony can manage to control the situation and prevent a repeat of the chaotic Last of Us 2 pre-release leaks.
Source: theDualSense/Twitter (via VGC)