Fall Guys studio accidentally leaks the source code onto Steam

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Should've paid more attention to that folder name.

Fall Guys SteamDB listing
(Image credit: Mediatonic (via SteamDB))

The weekend got off to what was likely a very interesting start for Fall Guys studio Mediatonic, which apparently—somehow—managed to leak the game's source code in an accidental Steam update.

The whole thing was deleted very quickly, of course, but not before the big banana-slip was noticed and captured for posterity by SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik.

The name of the directory through which everything flowed out into the digital ether—"BackUpThisFolder_ButDontShipItWithYourGame"—makes the whole thing seem even funnier from an outsider's perspective, but it's actually auto-generated by Unity to contain data required to debug games, including PDB files and C++ code generated from scripts. In case the folder name isn't sufficiently clear, the Unity docs also warn the developers "should back up this folder for every build you ship, but don’t redistribute it."

The incident is almost certainly not seen as funny by Mediatonic, though. Fall Guys, like most multiplayer games, has struggled with cheaters, and having access to the source code makes it much easier for cheat makers to develop new, more effective ways of ruining everyone's fun. Hopefully it won't become a problem—Mediatonic moved quickly to take the files offline—but I'm not super confident that the code didn't end up in somebody's hands before it was removed, and this stuff has a way of getting around quickly.

I've reached out to Mediatonic for more information about the leak (in particular, how it happened), and will update if I receive a reply. In the meantime, never forget:

(Image credit: Mediatonic (via SteamDB))
Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.