On Tuesday Marvel’s Avengers received an update that added a new in-game event as well as various balance updates and improvements.

Unfortunately the update also contained an unwelcome surprise for those playing on a PlayStation 5.

Shortly after updating the game folks realised that they could see a floating string of text on-screen that contained their IP address and username. While this might not be a big problem for those playing at home alone, it might be an issue for anybody that wants to stream the game.

Not that there are many people streaming Marvel’s Avengers. A quick glance at the directory on Twitch shows that very few people are watching streams of the game.

The good news is that the developers are aware of the issue and are working to deploy a fix as soon as 17:00 on Wednesday afternoon.

PlayStation 5 players should refrain from streaming or posting screenshots online until then as sensitive information may be displayed.

— Marvel's Avengers (@PlayAvengers) June 22, 2021

So what is the danger of your IP address appearing online?

For one a ne’er-do-well could use it to find out your geographic location, you could become the target of a DDoS attack or you could become the target of a malware attack.

The fact that this bug made it all the way to release then is very concerning and we hope that Crystal Dynamics takes a hard look at its internal processes so that something like this doesn’t happen again.

Until the hotfix is deployed, maybe avoid taking screenshots, recording gameplay footage or streaming.

What a way to launch an in-game event.