Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek is a multiplayer spin-off of the 2017 horror game Hello Neighbor. Recently, a hacker infiltrated the game's backend system, deleting player data, and the game has been temporarily taken offline.
The incident occurred last week, when the involved party obtained administrator credentials for the game and subsequently wiped player profiles, in-game progress, and other data. Developer Hologryph and publisher tinyBuild stated that the hacker also launched "coordinated attacks on server systems and infrastructure across all platforms."
Hologryph and tinyBuild issued a statement on Steam in response to the incident (source: delistedgames). According to the official explanation, in addition to launching the attack, the hacker also "threatened to continue targeting the game and its backend systems until the game is removed from sale on all platforms."
Both companies stated that the attack did not result in any leakage of personal data or information. However, as the incident is still unfolding, the officials have decided to "temporarily shut down the game until the security vulnerability is fixed and all potential safety hazards are sealed off."
In their statement, the officials said they have reported the incident to the relevant authorities and are working with PlayFab, the backend service provider for Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek, to attempt to restore the wiped data.
As for when the issue will be resolved, the officials have not yet provided a timeline. Currently, Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek remains available for purchase on Steam. Hologryph and tinyBuild stated that they will continue to keep players updated on "repair progress and subsequent developments."
Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek was officially launched in 2019. The following year, tinyBuild invested $3 million in Hologryph, becoming its majority shareholder. Just a few months prior, tinyBuild had acquired Dynamic Pixels, the developer of the original Hello Neighbor.
The sequel to Hello Neighbor was released in 2022, and the third installment is reportedly in development. The original Hello Neighbor remains highly popular, setting a historical peak for online players this March.