A massive number of old mobile games and apps that were at one point available through Apple’s TestFlight service have leaked online.
The full leak, which includes apps from 2012-2015, features 1.2 terabytes of data and has been dubbed the “Teraleak” as a throwback to 2020’s Nintendo “Gigaleak.” For those unaware, TestFlight is a service developers use to release test versions of iOS apps. I use the platform quite frequently to test out various titles (in fact, I’m using it to play Resident Evil 4 for iOS right now).
It’s worth noting that this sprawling leak isn’t as nefarious as it might initially seem and doesn’t stem from a conventional hack. According to an X (formerly Twitter) account focused on the leak, files were uncovered on TestFlight’s website via the WayBack Machine shortly before it was shut down (links in the leak reference Amazon Web Services).
The ‘Archive Team’ appears to have uploaded the TestFlight files to the Internet Archive back in 2015. It’s unclear why the leak is getting widespread attention roughly eight years later. Unfortunately, the current format the files are available in is difficult to parse through, but based on several X posts, some users are working on a solution.
The leak features prototypes and beta versions of several notable apps, including the once-popular Angry Bird series and Infinity Blade, a critically acclaimed mobile title Epic that was delisted from the App Store in 2018.
FULL TESTFLIGHT CDN ARCHIVES:
1. https://t.co/FPsmOLh42U
2. https://t.co/RMgd4hqCNe
3. https://t.co/KU0xdRoOh9You can find just about any iOS app beta/prototype from roughly 2012-2015 in this archive, but YOU HAVE TO SEARCH FOR IT. pic.twitter.com/Vt7akxE9QB
— TestFlight Leak Information (@teraleak) December 18, 2023
Testflight leak apps pic.twitter.com/LDzcbsuhcn
— Thomas (@Thomasluigi07) December 18, 2023
>> TestFlight giga/teraleak
AB PROTOTYPE INFO THREAD 🧵All available information about Angry Birds betas from this unprecedented leak can be found in this thread.
It will be updated as even more is unearthed. ^TS pic.twitter.com/lq4Fw91JDm
— Angry Birds Network (@AngryNetwrk) December 17, 2023
on the testflight leak server and some smurf game stuff was found and it's so funny for me idk why pic.twitter.com/qoJPd16pAR
— gogerta (@MaokiWitchy) December 18, 2023
TestFlight was acquired by Apple back in early 2014. Before the acquisition, the platform allowed developers to test apps across iOS and Android.
So, what does this all mean? Beyond getting access to excellent delisted iOS games, this is a great opportunity for mobile game preservation, especially given so many titles have disappeared from the platform over the years. On the other side of this argument, the intellectual property of hundreds of mobile game and app developers is now available for free online, which could have legal consequences.
Here’s hoping there’s a file for the delisted iOS version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 in the archive (I miss that game).
Apple and the affected developers have yet to comment on the leak.
Image credit: Epic
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