It seems like some players are getting into Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight way ahead of its May 22nd release date. On the r/legogaming subreddit, one user reported that after preordering the game on Xbox they were able to download the entire thing. After the download finished, the user received the “ready to start” notification, clicked it, and was loaded into what appears to be the full game. Screenshots posted to the subreddit showed the game’s loading screen, start menu, and the opening level.
Walmart appears to be one of the potential culprits behind the launch snafu. Several players have since shared that they gained access to Lego Batman early after purchasing a digital copy through the retailer’s website. However, it seems the glitch only works on Xbox platforms. One user noted that at the end of their session, the game prompted them to update. Others have confirmed that the game is no longer playable ahead of launch following the pre-release patch.
Lego Batman isn’t the only game that’s recently suffered an earlier than expected release. Forza Horizon 6 was leaked on Steam several days ahead of schedule. Players reported they were able to preload the game in anticipation of its May 15 early access period for those who purchased the game’s deluxe edition. However, those files were unencrypted and the game has appeared on piracy websites, putting a damper on what’s been the second highest selling game currently on Steam.
Hype surrounding Lego-ified Dark Knight remains high, and these early, if unexpected, peaks at the game seem to be stoking those fires even higher. But publisher WB Games and the developers at TT Games may have burned their whole forest down after adding Denuvo, the much maligned DRM software, to the game’s PC release. Though the software is an anti-piracy tool used throughout the industry, Denuvo has a reputation for tanking a game’s performance.
Players have complained about early adopters getting hit with the Denuvo tax only for it to be cracked shortly after launch anyway or eventually removed once initial sales have slowed.