A data breach affecting Twitch has revealed the streaming giant’s source code, creator payouts for the last three years, and a potential Steam competitor from Twitch parent company Amazon.
We can confirm a breach has taken place. Our teams are working with urgency to understand the extent of this. We will update the community as soon as additional information is available. Thank you for bearing with us.
— Twitch (@Twitch) October 6, 2021
Twitch confirmed the leak on Twitter, shortly after the news broke. “We can confirm a breach has taken place,” Twitch writes. “Our teams are working with urgency to understand the extent of this. We will update the community as soon as additional information is available. Thank you for bearing with us.” Digital Trends has reached out to the platform for additional comment.
The leak, which was initially reported on by Video Games Chronicle and confirmed as legitimate by The Verge, was posted on the forum website 4chan by an anonymous user. According to the user, the goal of the leak is to “foster more disruption and competition in the online video streaming space.” It appears as though password and account information for Twitch users was not included in the leak, but it’s still recommended that streamers and fans change their passwords.
The leak contains a variety of materials from Twitch, including source code for all of Twitch’s desktop, mobile, and console-based clients, data and information on other Twitch properties, internal security tools, and “an unreleased Steam competitor from Amazon Game Studios,” according to The Verge. The leak is a massive 125 GB in size, meaning it’s feasible that all of this information is actually included. This might not be the end of the leaks, either — the leak is reportedly labeled “part one,” implying the potential for more.
This is the latest event in a string of problems and bad PR for Twitch. In September, prominent streamers took “A Day Away From Twitch” in the form of a 24-hour boycott to protest the streaming giant’s lack of response or action toward hate raids. The company has also been losing big streamers to competitor YouTube Gaming, whom some say is offering more favorable deals and contracts. These events, combined with today’s leak, do not paint a favorable picture of Twitch’s future.
