Secret Neighbor, the multiplayer spinoff of the 2017 horror game Hello Neighbor, has been temporarily taken offline following a security incident. A hacker gained access to the game's backend systems, leading to the deletion of player data and progression.
The incident, which occurred last week, involved an individual who obtained credentials with administrative access to the game. The hacker then proceeded to wipe player profiles and in-game progression, which developer Hologryph and publisher tinyBuild described as a "coordinated attack on our server systems and infrastructure" across all platforms.
In a Steam post, Hologryph and tinyBuild stated that the hacker had "stated they intend to continue targeting the game and its backend systems until the game is removed from sale across all platforms." The companies confirmed that no personal data or information was compromised during the attack. However, due to the ongoing nature of the incident, they have opted to "temporarily shut down the game until we had addressed the breach and closed any vulnerabilities that may have led to the incident."
Hologryph and tinyBuild have notified the relevant authorities and are working with PlayFab, the provider of Secret Neighbor's backend services, in an effort to recover the wiped data. No timeframe for the resolution of these issues has been provided.
Secret Neighbor was initially released in 2019. The game remains available for purchase on Steam. Hologryph and tinyBuild have committed to keeping players updated on their progress.
This incident follows a period of growth for the Hello Neighbor franchise. In 2020, tinyBuild became a majority stakeholder in Hologryph, having previously acquired Dynamic Pixels, the developer of the original Hello Neighbor. A sequel was released in 2022, with a third game reportedly in development. The original Hello Neighbor has continued to see significant player engagement, reaching its highest concurrent player count in March of this year.