People Playground pulls Workshop support after second malware outbreak

Studio Minus disabled Steam Workshop support for People Playground after discovering a malicious mod that can hijack Steam accounts and delete game files. This is the second such incident this year, following a similar outbreak in February. The developer warns that mod support may never return unless mods can be made fundamentally safe.

The malicious mod operates as self-replicating malware, capable of hijacking Steam accounts to republish itself while also deleting files from People Playground and other installed games. A redditor's inspection found it also sends offensive messages to the victim's Steam friends. Studio Minus initially downplayed credential theft but later urged users to change passwords across important accounts.

Developer zooi previously described People Playground as a "technical hellscape" where properly sandboxing mods is "technically impossible." The studio has released a build blocking mod execution entirely, with Workshop support contingent on making mods "fundamentally safe to run." This incident follows other 2026 Workshop malware cases involving Project Zomboid, Wallpaper Engine, and Meccha Chameleon.