Pokémon creator Game Freak confirmed that it was hacked in August in a major breach that exposed the personal information of more than 2,600 employees as well as decades-old Pokémon documents, source code and other files. Last week, the stolen data was uploaded to the Internet as public awareness of the scale of the leak continues to grow.
As the files are uploaded to the Internet and distributed on forums and Discord, Pokémon fans continue to sift through the information to find recent and electrifying details. These files contain evidence of rejected projects – such as those submitted WarioWare-esque mobile game – and source code for ongoing builds Pokémon, Pokémon YAND Pokémon Legends: Arceusthat people were already using to run these builds.
Other than Game Freak’s statement regarding the infringement, Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo have remained still. The material impact of the leaked data is not immediately clear, but the cultural implications are widespread; once there, it cannot be put back into the bag, despite the company’s efforts to remove the stolen information.
Confused? We will answer your questions.
On October 12, unpublished Pokémon content began appearing on social media, Discord, and forums, distributed on Discord by an anonymous hacker who claimed to have compromised Game Freak’s internal systems. After the information leak spread across the Internet, people noticed that Game Freak had published a statement a few days earlier in which they confirmed that a hack had occurred in August. Game Freak stated that the information of more than 2,600 employees was stolen, but did not say whether game data was taken.
On October 22, anonymous account X called Centro Leaks shared a screenshot of the GitLab admin account, suggesting that’s where the hacked data from the August breach came from. GitLab is a code repository used by individuals and companies to store huge amounts of data. This is where Game Freak appears to have stored a ton of documents related to the Pokémon series, and this is likely where the 1TB of leaked data came from.
An anonymous hacker claimed on a private Discord server that he had a playable version of an upcoming, unreleased title Pokémon Legends: A.S. However, most of the information revealed so far has been about already released projects, be they games or anime.
None of this information was intended to be made public, however, like scrapped Pokémon and non-canon lore. The nature of the contents of the leak makes it a slightly different situation than the leaks it involved Wolverine Or Grand Theft Auto 6two unreleased and highly anticipated games that have become targets for hackers in recent years.
Still, Pokemon fans clamor for any scrap of information, scouring beta versions of older games to discover compelling or unknown details. On Discord servers and elsewhere, Pokémon fans run early versions of Pokémon games on emulators and scan the gameplay for changed or cut content.
Hacker published content from several decades ago from multiple generations of Pokémon and their anime counterparts. This includes scrapped Pokémon, concept art, beta versions, and Pokémon sprites. The leaked data also included several unannounced and potentially canceled projects, including a game supposedly about riding Pokémon and another that it looked like it was inspired WarioWare. There were a few details about the next generation of Pokémon games, but not many – the hacker again said he would not reveal such information.
In addition to all this, there was a treasure trove of documents containing non-canon Pokémon lore and stories written by Game Freak staff, one of which went viral for incorrect translation: For a while, some fans thought Game Freak had written a disturbing story about the fire Pokémon Typhlosion kidnapping a girl and having a baby with her.
The ethics of using information stolen from a company – information that was never intended to be disclosed – is complicated. Although Game Freak reported that employee information was stolen, it apparently was not distributed online. This fact muddies the waters for people looking at stolen information and art: Personal data is a clear line that should not be crossedwhile leaked content about games from decades ago may seem less questionable.
In an industry as mysterious as the video game industry, it’s understandable why fans are eager to peek behind the curtain. However obtained, this Is a noteworthy and uncommon look at game development and finished projects. It’s tempting to look at the process at a huge corporation, and many people could learn and appreciate it. (The Pokémon modding community in particular has a particular interest in looking under the hood.) But ultimately, these are stolen items. Even concept art or unfinished art, as unimportant as it may seem to gamers, was obtained illegally and was never intended for public release, what makes ethics NO by consuming this information brighter for some people.
The answer to whether or not it’s okay to view leaks is a personal choice – so I can’t answer that question for you!
What will happen to the hacker?
Although the hacker is anonymous, it is likely that Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are already investigating his identity. The company is known for litigating leaks, even those less significant than this one.
We can look into Pokémon sword AND Pokémon Shield leak for example: The Pokémon Company sued and settled a lawsuit against two people who took photos of the yet-unreleased movie Sword AND Shield guide and posted them on Discord. These people were ordered to pay $150,000 each. In this case, the information leak was confined solely to information contained in the guide, while the hack involved illegally breaking into private servers and then distributing the stolen information. Jail time is possible.
It’s not unusual for a hacker to be arrested or jailed for this type of activity: When an 18-year-old hacker broke into Rockstar Games’ servers in 2022 and leaked stolen Grand Theft Auto 6 information hacker was arrested and charged with a crime. In 2023, he was sentenced to an indefinite stay in hospital.
What will Nintendo, Game Freak and The Pokémon Company do?
Neither company responded to Polygon’s request for comment, but the most likely course of action is continued public silence. Companies can still try to stem the tide of leaks by sending Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices to those sharing the stolen content or by taking legal action against the hacker.
There have been concerns online that the Pokémon Company will be delayed Pokémon Legends: A as a result of a leak, but this is also historically unlikely.
