Game Freak confirmed it suffered a cyberattack in which, through “unauthorized access,” malicious actors were able to access its server and employees’ personal information and other information related to the Pokemon Saga, including new games, character designs, beta, and codename. The next Nintendo Switch console.
The video game company, the main developer of the Pokemon franchise, confirmed that it had experienced “unauthorized access” to its servers in August this year, the ramifications of which are now beginning to be noticed, with large numbers of users sharing sensitive data in a major leak referred to as ‘Teraleak’.
The August attack, on the one hand, affected 2,606 former and current employees, as Game Freak shared in a statement. Personal data such as company name and email address was leaked. In this sense, the developer stated that it will personally contact those affected by the cyberattack.
In addition to personal information, malicious actors have taken advantage of this cyberattack to steal and leak information, most notably about Pokemon Saga. In particular, internal data that includes everything from character design to the source code of various installments of the franchise has been shared.
Source code of old and future games leaked
Some users shared this weekend in posts on Reddit and (Soulsilver), as well as data regarding the next Pokemon video game codenamed ‘Gaia’.
References to a new online multiplayer Pokemon video game referred to as ‘Synapse’ have also been found, as well as an upcoming Pokemon Legends codenamed: ZA video game, called ‘Ikkaku’. Another leak has the codename of the upcoming Nintendo Switch console, which is internally called ‘Ounce’.
Likewise, information has been leaked about other planned productions of the saga, including a sequel to the Detective Pikachu movie and a new anime series. Additionally, multiple Pokemon beta character designs have been revealed.
However, Game Freak did not mention these leaks in the announcement, despite admitting to having suffered a cyberattack in August. For their part, Nintendo and the Pokemon Company have not commented on the matter.
Despite all this, Game Freak stressed that they have already carried out a “reconstruction and re-examination of the server” and will continue to work to strengthen security measures and prevent similar cyberattacks from happening again. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to everyone involved,” the developer concluded.
