Doom III 'Rumors Department' - Early Playable Alpha Leaked?

Rumors have persisted all weekend that an early "playable" alpha copy of Doom III has somehow been leaked to the Internet. Some even claim to have seen it on the Internet, and say that it is, in fact, a playable demo that includes the three maps shown at the E3 convention earlier this year.

There is much speculation about who might be involved in this unauthorized demo leak, and why. What has really ignited a firestorm of commentary regarding the leak concerns the extent of potential damage done, and what consequences id Software might impose due to this leak and any resulting damages.

Some have speculated that the leak may have originated from an employee of a major hardware manufacturer. IRC chat logs speculate that the 'watermarks' on this demo belong to a certain party. Obviously, this will not be the last we will hear regarding this situation. It could spell certain disaster for a company if it were determined that the leak had originated from one of their employees. In the meantime, the rumors and speculation will continue as to the source and extent of the leak.

On a positive note, those that have claimed to have downloaded the Doom III alpha copy and have had an opportunity to extensively view it have expressed a very positive reaction to the demo. This is at least positive news, given the sticky situation.