Indonesia’s ratings board just leaked huge spoilers for 007: First Light and other unreleased games

Indonesia’s games ratings board has accidentally leaked significant story spoilers for unreleased games, including 007: First Light.

This weekend, it was discovered that a security flaw with the Indonesian Game Rating System (IGRS) had left gameplay footage exposed for many unreleased games, which were submitted privately for the purposes of classification.

That includes over an hour of spoiler-filled footage for IO Interactive’s 007: First Light, which VGC has verified is being circulated online, including what appears to be the ending of the game.

The leaked footage also includes unreleased gameplay from Bandai Namco’s Echoes of Aincrad, including cut-scenes that appear to show significant story moments. So those looking to avoid spoilers for either title may want to set social media filters.

Notably, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag and Konami’s Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse were also part of the leak, though at the time of publishing, no footage appears to have been circulated online.

According to reports, the IGRS leak also exposed thousands of email addresses belonging to game developers.

The mishap will come as a big disappointment for IO Interactive in particular, which understandably will feel aggrieved that story spoilers for its big narrative Bond game are now in the wild, more than six weeks ahead of its May 27 release.

The game – which is being framed as an origin story – will star Patrick Gibson as an inexperienced 26-year-old Bond, as he takes on an MI6 mission which will grant him 00 status if he’s successful.

Game developers typically submit content to global classification boards that they feel is relevant to the decision process of rating their games, such as sequences featuring swear words, gambling, nudity, or violence.

Nic McConnell, age ratings manager at Riot Games, shared insight on the process via a thread on BlueSky, and said that he believed the IGRS team was small and “being given a huge task without real resources”.

“So, I’ve been in charge of getting our IGRS process and strategy going at Riot and it’s been a journey,” he wrote. “The way their system works is you fill out a brief survey which spits out a rating, and alongside that you provide a link to relevant footage and images for things like violence, language, sex etc.

“IGRS, best as I can tell, is going through each submission manually (we shared our footage on locked down Google Drive links and just recently got share requests from different IGRS team members). It wouldn’t blow my mind if some links got opened more broadly somehow during that… ad hoc process.”

He added: “Leaks are nothing new – you have to be very careful with Korea’s GRAC, for example, and you can request embargoes from other agencies – but the IGRS process is very much a work in progress. My suggestion to devs and publishers – only share the most relevant submission materials.

“I’d also note – the team at IGRS I think is small and being given a huge task without real resources. I was able to meet with them after harassing them on Instagram for months last year and my sense is it’s a small group of good folks doing their best. But, like ClassIn in BR, up against short time.”