Yesterday there was a smattering of news online regarding the possibility that a pre-release dev build of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 had leaked online in a fully playable state.

This has since been confirmed with a statement from Focus Entertainment, the publisher behind the property, urging players to avoid media from the old build of the title, lest they be spoiled before the full release.

Gameplay footage of the game has also started to appear online, but copyright claims from Saber Interactive are quickly quelling any sharing via traditional means on platforms like YouTube. So far reactions to the footage have been unanimously in agreement that the game looks extremely good, even in an unfinished state – but obviously anyone who wishes to enjoy the game in a proper way should avoid the distributed copy, if only to guarantee a full polished and complete experience.

That, and to avoid any malicious code that likely has been packaged alongside this clearly illegal version.

Comments from people close to the project suggest that it is an old build, still containing placeholder assets for some UI elements – and may date back as far as February 2024. This means it is almost a completed version, but some issues are to be expected. This is similarly mirrored in the social media statement, that says the build is closer to twelve months old:

We are deeply touched by the overwhelming support we’ve received from our community following the leak of an old build of our upcoming game, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

Our teams have poured years of hard work, passion, and dedication into creating a game worthy of your hopes and expectations, and it’s disheartening that many of the surprises we worked to keep secret were spoiled. We’re saddened that this build, which will be almost a year old by the time we launch, is how some of our most eager fans will first experience Space Marine 2.
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Our unwavering commitment has been to deliver the best possible game for our players. This was the driving force behind our decision to spend more time on development and ensure we deliver the best experience we can.
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We’re asking everyone to avoid this unfinished build and to not spoil the game for those excited to experience it for the first time at launch. Space Marine 2 will release on September 9, and the best way to support our teams’ hard work is to play the game as they’ve always intended.

See you all in a few weeks. For the Emperor!

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It’s a bummer in every way, given that the coverage of Space Marine 2 has seemingly shown the project to be incredible passion filled and careful – so the team behind the work must be gutted to see it leaked in such an incomplete form.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 launches on September 10, so if you wish to enjoy the game in a pure state you may need to tread carefully online for the next two months.