MultiVersus director says datamining is a "disservice" to players

by Danny Craig ·

WB Games

MultiVersus director Tony Huynh has said that dataminers do "a disservice to the players" by revealing upcoming characters and other content before their official announcement.

The details:

Speaking with VGC, Huynh was asked about his opinion on datamining and the measures Player First Games has put in place to counter it. The director stated that "a lot of things” have been done to prevent it, but that it is an "arms race" with "constant protections." Despite the increased protections, Huynh stated that the studio cannot guarantee that there will be no leaks in the future and is impressed by dataminers' creativity.
Huynh went on to say that he believes datamining is a "disservice to the players” and "deflating” for developers as big announcements are often ruined by leaks. "I think it's a disservice to the players, honestly, that these things are ruined, and it's deflating for the team as well," the director explained. "But more importantly, it's – I wouldn't use the word 'depressing' – it's just unfortunate for the players. They don't get the grand reveal that we have planned, and a lot of the air is sucked out of the room."
Datamining, which is the process of digging through game files to find information regarding upcoming content releases, has been common in the industry for years. Examples of previously discovered content include unannounced Call of Duty weapons, upcoming fighting game characters, Grand Theft Auto V’s canceled DLCs, and even potential game releases.

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