{"rewrite":{"id":"r_8b4490aeb27ea25321a27518","clusterId":"c_b223e919f9d6ec4a9b555486","slug":"people-playground-workshop-shut-down-after-malware-found-in-mod","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"People Playground Workshop Shut Down After Malware Found in Mod","summary":"The Steam Workshop for People Playground, a 2D sandbox game developed by mestiez and published by Studio Minus, was closed on September 22, 2026, after a mod was found to contain malware. The game carries roughly 300,000 Steam user reviews and an Overwhelmingly Positive rating as of September 24. The malicious mod permanently deletes a large amount of the victim's personal data, destroys Steam settings and cloud data for other Steam games, reads Discord usernames and other identifying information and posts them to the Workshop (now disabled), and automatically reposts itself to spread. Users who installed mods and played between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM JST on September 22 are urged to run a virus scan, change their Discord password, and change passwords on all important accounts. A mod carrying malicious malware also hit the game in February 2026. People Playground is on sale for PC via Steam at 1,010 yen.","whyItMatters":"The same game has now been hit by a malware-carrying mod twice in 2026, which points to a recurring gap in how Steam Workshop content is vetted before it reaches players.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe September 22 mod is the second malware incident for People Playground this year. A mod carrying malicious code hit the game in February 2026 as well, and an earlier 4Gamer report covered that case.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe malware in the September mod wipes a large amount of the victim\u0026#39;s personal data, breaks Steam settings and cloud saves for other Steam games, harvests Discord usernames and other identifying details and posts them to the Workshop, and reposts itself to spread to more users.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe same pattern has hit other Steam titles recently, which is why the warning now extends past this one game.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eEscape from Tarkov: a Workshop mod showed fake official warnings and account suspension pop-ups that sent users to a phishing site, and the creator was banned after some users were already affected.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eMeccha Chameleon: a mod map was reported contaminated, and the studio says the latest patch resolved it.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eWallpaper Engine: the developer plans to remove the wallpaper type reported for malware contamination from the Workshop starting next week.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eRimWorld: a malicious mod was confirmed on the Steam Workshop there as well.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople Playground is a 2D sandbox built on physics simulation and explicit violence against stick-figure-like characters, and players can build out the field and watch the characters react. It is on sale for PC via Steam at 1,010 yen.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"This is the second malware mod to hit People Playground in 2026, and the payload now weaponizes the Workshop itself by reposting the infected mod automatically.","twitterPost":"People Playground's malware mod reposts itself on the Workshop, so the infection vector spreads without the original uploader acting again.","threadsPost":"People Playground's February malware mod was a warning that did not hold. The September strain deletes personal data, scrapes Discord identities, corrupts Steam cloud saves, and reposts itself, turning the Workshop into its own distribution channel.","newsletterBlurb":"Steam took the People Playground Workshop offline on September 22 after a mod was found carrying malware that deletes personal data, breaks Steam settings and cloud saves, and harvests Discord handles. It is the second malware incident for the game in 2026, following one in February. Users who played during a two-hour window that morning are advised to scan and reset passwords.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/24/172709.html\",\"title\":\"Malicious Mod Containing Malware Appears Again on Steam... Workshop Temporarily Closed for Popular Stick-Figure Sandbox 'People Playground'\"},{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/25/28136.html\",\"title\":\"Malicious Mod Containing Malware Appears on Steam Again - Workshop for Popular Stick-Figure Sandbox 'People Playground' Closed for the Time Being\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":14127,"outputTokens":1298,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791068667,"createdAt":"2026-10-03T22:59:40.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-03T23:03:22.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T23:03:22.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_b223e919f9d6ec4a9b555486","canonicalTitle":"Steamでまたマルウェア含む悪質Mod登場…人気の棒人間風キャラぐちゃぐちゃサンドボックス『People Playground』ワークショップ当面は閉鎖へ","representativeArticleId":"a_97eba51d122e59f8bca3ecea","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"People Playground\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-24T09:15:02.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-24T22:00:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T23:03:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/25/28136.html","title":"Steamでまたマルウェア含む悪質Mod登場…人気の棒人間風キャラぐちゃぐちゃサンドボックス『People Playground』ワークショップ当面は閉鎖へ"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/24/172709.html","title":"Steamでまたマルウェア含む悪質Mod登場…人気の棒人間風キャラぐちゃぐちゃサンドボックス『People Playground』ワークショップ当面は閉鎖へ"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["People Playground"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The Steam Workshop for People Playground was closed on September 22, 2026, after a mod was found to contain malware.","People Playground has roughly 300,000 Steam user reviews and an Overwhelmingly Positive rating as of September 24, 2026.","The malware deletes personal data, destroys Steam settings and cloud data for other games, and posts Discord usernames to the Workshop.","Users who played People Playground between 1:00 AM and 3:00 AM JST on September 22 are urged to run a virus scan and change their Discord password.","People Playground is on sale for PC via Steam at 1,010 yen."]}