Crystal Dynamics has issued a warning against streaming Marvel's Avengers gameplay, as it appears that the 1.8.0 patch released today is causing the PlayStation 5 version of the game to reveal player IP addresses to viewers.
Shortly after the patch went live, Crystal Dynamics said that it was investigating an issue causing "a floating string of text" to appear on players' screens. Nearly an hour later, the studio asked users to "refrain from streaming for now if you're experiencing this issue."
Please refrain from streaming for now if you're experiencing this issue. We will update when this issue has been resolved.June 22, 2021
Crystal Dynamics did not specify what the text in question is, but multiple Twitter users did: It was IP addresses belonging to streamers. Needless to say, they were not happy about it. Forbes confirmed the claims that Marvel's Avengers is in fact displaying IP addresses at the bottom of players' screens.
Floating string of text. You are joking yeah? It’s peoples IP addresses. Come on.June 22, 2021
“String of text “ pic.twitter.com/3hTpLCXRs1June 22, 2021
"Floating strings of text" pic.twitter.com/2mdE3oYMt4June 22, 2021
ITS THE IP ADDRESS! KEEP TRYING TO DOWNPLAY SHIT - PEOPLE ARE STREAMING THIS RIGHT NOW AND YOU REFUSE TO BE ACCOUNTABLE ENOUGH TO ADMIT WHAT IT IS AND TELL PEOPLE TO STOP. STRING OF NUMBERS!? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS https://t.co/NGsIiAn9hoJune 22, 2021
Revealing IP addresses is a major violation of privacy. As we said in this guide to using VPNs, your PC's IP address "is a digital fingerprint that identifies you on the internet." IP addresses can be used to target DDoS attacks, or even to track physical location, a potentially serious problem at a time when streamers regularly face threats and swattings.
A couple hours after the initial tweet, Crystal Dynamics confirmed that Marvel's Avengers is exposing personal information, including IP addresses, but clarified that it only appears to be happening on the PlayStation 5 version of the game. A fix is expected tomorrow.
We are currently testing a solution to the issue of personal information, including the player's IP address and username, being displayed on screen on PS5 and plan to deploy a hotfix tomorrow at around 8AM PT.June 22, 2021
We tested Marvel's Avengers on Steam and did not encounter the problem, so you should be safe if you're playing on PC—although out of an abundance of caution, you might want to double-check if you decide to play online, just to be sure. I've reached out to Crystal Dynamics for more information on the problem, and will update if I receive a reply.
