Pokémon leaks and future games

Last weekend, game developer Game Freak, known for its creation of the famous Pokémon franchise, was the target of a serious security attack.

Several confidential internal materials were leaked, including game source codes and character designs, and quickly spread across social media. The incident caught the attention of the fan community and generated great concern in the industry.

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What was leaked?

The breach brought to light a large amount of internal content, from source code files for old games like Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver to character designs that were discarded throughout the development process. The leak also included confidential documents and information about future franchise projects.

One of the details of the leak that caught our attention was the revelation of the codename for Swith 2, the Nintendo Switch hit, which is Ounce. Furthermore, among the files released, there is also the codename for the next 10th generation Pokémon games, provisionally titled Gaia (N&K), which would arrive as the successors to Scarlet and Violet.

Another project that also had its codename revealed was Pokémon Legends: ZA, which is titled Ikkaku. The game has been confirmed as an action RPG and will take place in a place called Luminose City, with a look that will mix the vibe of GTA with Cyberpunk, being a mega city with suburban areas, parks, lakes, and more. This would be the most ambitious game in the franchise to date.

The whole Pokémon Legends: Z-A takes place in Lumiose City.

This could be Game Freak’s attempt at a GTA/Cyberpunk 2077 meets Pokémon; set entirely within a mega city, with suburban areas, parks, lakes, etc, especially as they mention it’s their most ambitious game yet.

A single… pic.twitter.com/rWWpRRvczr

— Centro LEAKS (@CentroLeaks) February 27, 2024

The document brought references to a supposed Pokémon MMO (massively multiplayer online) game that would be in development, in addition to all the source code for games such as Pokémon HeartGold, SoulSilver, Black2 and White2, for Nintendo DS.

But the leaks weren’t just focused on games, as the material also mentions the existence of a yet-to-be-released Detective Pikachu, new films planned for the franchise and a possible new anime series.

The term “Teraleak”, created by fans, has been widely used to refer to this type of large leak of information. The documents and images were mainly leaked on the Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) platforms, with Centro Leaks being one of the first to disseminate the content.

Game Freak response and security measures

In response to what happened, Game Freak issued a statement last Thursday, confirming that its servers were hacked in August. The company revealed that in addition to Pokémon-related material, personal information of more than 2,600 current and former employees was also compromised. However, in the statement, the company did not speak directly about the leak of Pokémon files, which generated even more speculation among fans and specialized media.

The breach wasn’t just limited to information about games in development; also showcased a vast amount of beta character designs and concept art. These images are of great interest to the community, offering insight into the creative processes behind building the Pokémon universe.

I have compiled all of the sprites together. This is everything as of right now pic.twitter.com/DLFEiLOqLM

— ydarb (@ydarrb) October 13, 2024

Game Freak apologized to those affected by the breach and said it is taking steps to strengthen the security of its servers and internal systems. The statement made clear the company’s concern for employee privacy, as the invasion also exposed sensitive employee data.

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, Game Freak’s main partners in the Pokémon franchise, have not yet officially commented on what happened. The absence of a statement from these entertainment giants has sparked speculation about what the leak could mean for the future of Pokémon releases.

Source: engadget