Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 dev confirms major leak spoiling "many of the surprises we worked to keep secret," but says the build is almost a year old

Fans have waited more than a decade for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, developer Saber Interactive's follow-up to the 2011 third-person shooter bloodbath Space Marine. Some of those fans have been waiting patiently, with their hands peacefully in their laps, but others have decided to get as aggressive as the series' beefcake heroes. 

Case in point: a playable pre-release build was recently shared online, and there are already wordless walkthroughs up on YouTube. Saber Interactive is urging players to avoid the leak if they can. 

"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," Saber said in a joint statement with publisher Focus Entertainment. 

"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," they continued. 

Reddit users have at least found a silver lining in the alien-infested hack 'n' slash game leaking. "According to the leaker he was playing on a mid-end laptop," one Redditor said, "so if the game looks that good and is running in OK-ish frames on a mid laptop two months before release, I am more reassured and hyped."

Saber would prefer fans keep their hype locked up tight for now. 

"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," the joint statement reads. "The best way to support our teams' hard work is to play the game as they've always intended."

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In any case, players won't have to wait much longer to get the genuine Space Marine 2 experience — the game releases September 9 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam.

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 wants to take you back to the blood old days .