leaks.Following our report where 2K confirmed an investigation into Somers’ Borderlands 3 content over possible leaks, SupMatto’s whole YouTube channel and backlog of content has been taken offline.
Somers revealed that his YouTube channel suffered several copyright strikes from 2K Games. YouTube has a three-strike policy where if a channel is flagged three times within a 90-day time period, YouTube will shut down the channel. Considering the number of strikes Somers’ YouTube channel received, this could be a likely explanation for the disappearance.
Original story follows:
This morning the hashtag #BoycottBorderlands3 began trending on Twitter. The hashtag was created in response to a video published by Borderlands YouTuber SupMatto who claimed he was the target of an investigation by Take-Two Interactive over Borderlands 3 leaks.
IGN has learned that 2K Games and Take-Two, the parent company of 2K as well as Rockstar and Private Division, have indeed been investigating SupMatto’s Borderlands 3 videos as part of a wider investigation into ongoing Borderlands 3 leaks. (2K serves as publisher on Borderlands 3, which is being developed by Texas-based video game studio Gearbox Software.)
Yesterday, YouTuber SupMatto published a video that claimed that two private investigators showed up at his residence to inquire about his Borderlands YouTube account. “I don’t feel like I have anything to hide. They questioned me about various things relating to my channel, the livestream that was discussed on my channel… and they told me they were from Take-Two Interactive.”
However, our investigation revealed a complicated 10-month investigation initiated by 2K and Take-Two into prominent Borderlands 3 leaks.
In a statement to IGN, 2K confirmed the investigation into SupMatto.
“Take Two and 2K take the security and confidentiality of trade secrets very seriously. The action we’ve taken is the result of a 10-month investigation and a history of this creator profiting from breaking our policies, leaking confidential information about our product, and infringing our copyright,” a 2K Games representative said.
SupMatto’s video focused on an incident related to the official Borderlands 3 Twitch extension, which SupMatto reported on based on a Twitch exploit.
“It’s not some crafty work-around,” SupMatto claims on his video. “On April 29th the official Borderlands YouTube channel posted the reveal of the Twitch extension leading into the gameplay reveal… and the name of the testing accounts were exposed in that video. This wasn’t found by me.”
However, 2K allege SupMatto’s leaks into Borderlands 3 goes far beyond just the Twitch extension. SupMatto’s YouTube channel has published videos dating back to 2018 with information on Borderlands 3, including accurate details on characters and mechanics months ahead of Borderland 3’s official reveal. There’s also a question of where SupMatto got his leaks. If they were from third-party vendors, or internal parties connected to Borderlands 3, then there’s the matter of breached NDAs to consider.
In our discussions with 2K, we’ve learned that the Twitch streams SupMatto used as sources were set to private, not public, as SupMatto claims. We were told that it was an exploit in Twitch’s security that allowed SupMatto’s community to datamine their way into getting access to thumbnail previews on what were private test streams. This puts SupMatto’s claims in his Borderlands 3 videos into question.
“The information he’s sharing about the situation is incomplete, and in some cases untrue,” a 2K representative said in a statement to IGN. “Not only were many of his actions illegal, but they were negatively impacting the experience of other content creators and our fans in anticipation for the game.”
Since SupMatto’s encounter with 2K’s private investigators, we’ve learned that he has deleted several (not all) of the Borderlands 3 videos containing leaked information from his YouTube channel, seemingly without rhyme or reason. These include several leaked reports published months before Borderlands 3’s PAX East reveal.
According to sources familiar with the matter, previously listed perks on SupMatto’s YouTube channel allegedly offered access to a private Discord channel that included further Borderlands 3 leaked information in exchange for a $5 membership to his YouTube channel.
In SupMatto’s video he revealed that his Discord channel was shut down and received the following notice from Discord: “Your account was involved in selling, promoting, or distributing cheats, hacks, or cracked accounts.”
Screencapture from SupMatto’s recent video.
We’ve learned that both Twitch and Discord were investigating SupMatto’s Twitch channel and Discord server, respectively. We’ve reached out to both Twitch and Discord for confirmation.
As we understand it, at this time, 2K and Take Two are not pursuing legal action against SupMatto. But the incident is part of a larger and ongoing investigation by 2K and Take Two over Borderlands 3’s trade secrets.
“We will take the necessary actions to defend against leaks and infringement of our intellectual property that not only potentially impact our business and partners, but more importantly may negatively impact the experiences of our fans and customers,” 2K said in a statement.
We have attempted to reach out to SupMatto for this story, but were unable to find an available contact method on his YouTube channel, and both his Twitter and Discord servers are down.
Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. Got a tip about Borderlands 3? Email Us at [email protected] or reach out on Twitter.
