Just when you thought it was safe to go online again, a Netflix hacker has claimed episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 will be leaked very soon.
The news arrives after Netflix suffered a major data breach, which saw segments of upcoming anime including Terminator Zero, Dandadan, and Mappa’s remake of Ranma 1/2 illegally shared online.
The clips, which are of poor quality and not released as intended, were followed by leaks of other shows including the much-anticipated Arcane Season 2 and Heartstopper Season 3.
Then, at the tail end of last week, a rumor surfaced that the hacker’s next target would be Stranger Things Season 5.
As the final chapter of Netflix’s biggest title and the fact the release date isn’t set until 2025, these claims seemed pretty far-fetched.
Netflix just had a big leak, I heard from people that the first 3 unfinished episodes might release later. Take it with a grain of salt we’ll see it ourself.#StrangerThings5 #StrangerThings #Netflix pic.twitter.com/0z9oSnD6ET
— Stranger Things News (@UpsideDownScoop) August 8, 2024
However, the same anonymous leaker, Jace Johnson, has since alleged that they’ll receive episodes of Season 5 on Wednesday, August 15.
They explained in a post that while Stranger Things “wasn’t part of the website that got hacked,” they spoke with a hacker who showed them clips from Season 5 Episode 1.
“He said he’ll send me the leaked episodes on Wednesday. Should I post them even though I’ll probably get sued by Netflix?” they wrote.
As was the case with last week’s rumor, the idea hasn’t gone down too well with the Stranger Things fandom.
“Disrespectfully, piss off,” wrote one, while another replied, “No. Have some respect for all the cast and crew involved in this show. SMH.”
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“Don’t do it. Leaks are harmful,” added a third, while a fourth chimed in, “You’re just doing this for clout. Stop this now.”
A fifth said, “Please don’t. I get that it’s like ‘if you don’t want to see it then don’t watch it’ but people WILL spoil it. I have been waiting and thousands of others as well for Season 5. We don’t want it spoiled, please please please don’t.”
Stranger Things isn’t the only threat they’ve made this week, with the hacker claiming to have dropped unfinished content from Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 online.
Netflix spoke out about the breach last week, telling The Wrap that its team is “aggressively taking action to have it taken down.”
Meanwhile, a representative for Riot Games told Dexerto of the Arcane Season 2 situation, “The leaked pieces are low quality with watermarks, missing content, and bad audio.
“The full show in its intended form and best viewing experience comes to Netflix in November 2024.”
If you’re over it and don’t want your favorite show spoiled, you could always install an extension that blocks spoilers until the release date arrives.
For more on when these shows will actually arrive, you can read everything we know about Arcane Season 2 and Heartstopper Season 3. Be sure to check out the new series streaming this month, too.