Playground Games is threatening franchise-wide and hardware bans for anyone who accesses or plays a leaked build of Forza Horizon 6.
The developer's aggressive stance highlights the industry's struggle to protect intellectual property in an era of massive digital leaks. By targeting the hardware itself, the studio aims to prevent pirates from simply creating new accounts to bypass traditional software bans.
The incident follows the accidental release of an unencrypted PC build of the game [2]. The leaked files are substantial, totaling 155 GB [1], and have been distributed across the internet worldwide [2]. This leak exposes a significant portion of the game's data before its official release.
In a statement issued this month, Playground Games said it will issue franchise-wide and hardware bans to pirates [1]. Some reports specify that these enforcement actions may result in lifetime hardware bans [1]. Such a measure would potentially block a user's device from accessing any game within the franchise, regardless of whether the game was purchased legally.
The studio is taking these steps to deter further piracy and protect the commercial launch of the title [2]. The leak of an unencrypted build removes the primary layer of security the developer relied upon to keep the game private until the official debut.
While the developer focuses on enforcement, the scale of the leak remains a challenge. Once a 155 GB [1] file is distributed globally, the studio cannot retract the data. The focus has shifted from containment to the punishment of those who download the cracked version.
“Playground Games is threatening franchise-wide and hardware bans”
This escalation signals a shift toward more permanent deterrents in the fight against piracy. By implementing hardware-level bans, Playground Games is moving beyond account suspension to target the physical machine, which creates a much higher risk for the end-user and may serve as a warning to other players attempting to access leaked content.
