Draft:GameFreak Teraleak

  • Comment: My take is that this may be too soon to evaluate as an independently notable event beyond what could be merged into Game Freak for the following reasons: (a) the sources are all from a very short time period; (b) the information supporting the sources is either from the leak or the official statement; (c) the sources are mostly functionally stating the same thing; (d) the sources are far from what would be called wide mainstream coverage; (e) the secondary commentary on the ramifications or significance of the event isn't quite there. VRXCES (talk) 05:52, 4 November 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: This should be moved to "Game Freak Teraleak," as this is not related to Nintendo. Additionally, this should be expanded with more of the leaks' content, as well as reactions from journalists and others to the leak. Has one ever considered Magneton? Pokelego999 (talk) 16:05, 30 October 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Does seems notable though improperly sourced. Multiple statements without sources, Twitter is cited. Also the page is called "Nintendo Teraleak" but the lead calls it the "Game Freak Teraleak" Questions? four Olifanofmrtennant (she/her) 17:57, 15 October 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: This is probably notable, but please use actual games journalism websites to source this. Don't use Twitter or Imgur. Plenty of reputable games journalism websites are reporting on this- use them to source. Qcne (talk) 14:44, 13 October 2024 (UTC)

Nintendo Teraleak
DateOctober, 2024
ThemeData breach
CauseHacking of Game Freak's servers
ParticipantsHackers, Game Freak, Nintendo
OutcomeLeaked internal data, including Pokémon game prototypes and personal information

The Nintendo Teraleak is a major data breach that surfaced on October 12, 2024. The breach involves source code, project files, and early builds of various Pokémon games, along with confidential details about future projects by the Japanese video game developer Game Freak. With over 1 terabyte of leaked data, it has been compared to the Gigaleak of 2020, but is regarded as more significant due to the volume and nature of the leaked content.[1][2]

Background

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Game Freak, best known for developing the Pokémon franchise, was the target of the breach referred to as the Teraleak. The exposed data includes not only assets from earlier Pokémon games but also confidential information about upcoming projects. Among the leaked materials were codenames for several new titles, such as "Gaia," believed to be a successor to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and "Ikkaku," a game related to the ''Pokémon Legends'' sub-series, commonly known as ''Pokémon Legends: Z-A''.[3]

Leak Details

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On October 12, 2024, an anonymous individual using the alias "GameFreakOUT" posted files on the Rare Gaming Dump Discord server. The initial shared file was the source code for Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver[4], uploaded via the gofile.io file-sharing platform. Following this, additional files from various Pokémon projects were leaked, including the source code of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.[5]

Among the leak’s more notable revelations were previously unknown details about canceled and unannounced projects, including a Splatoon-like multiplayer game codenamed "Synapse," pitches from a movie sequel of Detective Pikachu, concept art from future projects, and early details related to the upcoming "Nintendo Switch 2", codenamed "Ounce."[6][7]

Comparisons to Other Leaks

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The Teraleak has been compared to the 2020 Gigaleak[8], which revealed unused assets and early builds from Nintendo's games and hardware. The Teraleak is larger in scale, with over 1 terabyte of data exposed, surpassing the Gigaleak in volume and scope. Like the Gigaleak, it includes sensitive project files and source code for Pokémon.[2][3]

Response

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On October 10, 2024, Game Freak issued an official statement regarding the Teraleak[9]. The company confirmed that unauthorized access to their internal servers took place in August 2024. According to Game Freak, the breach involved the exposure of personal and sensitive information belonging to more than 2,600 individuals, including employees, contractors, and collaborators within the company. This breach was not only a violation of personal privacy but also led to the compromise of crucial, confidential development files, many of which are essential to the company’s ongoing and future projects.[10]

In response to the breach, Game Freak has committed to taking immediate and comprehensive action. The company has already implemented several new security measures. These measures aim to strengthen their network defenses and safeguard both personal and company data from potential threats.[2]


See Also

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References

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  1. ^ Taylor-Hill, Grant (October 13, 2024). "Huge Game Freak Leaks Future Projects Data". Insider Gaming.
  2. ^ a b c Ganos, Jason (October 13, 2024). "Pokémon developer Game Freak hacked". Nintendo Wire.
  3. ^ a b Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 13, 2024). "Pokémon Developer Game Freak Reportedly Hacked, Stolen Data on Unannounced Games as Well as Nintendo Switch 2 Codename Leaked Online". IGN. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  4. ^ Serin, Kaan (October 13, 2024). "Huge Game Freak leak reveals Pokemon source code, unused designs, Switch 2 details, and unannounced Gen 10 games". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  5. ^ Bošnjak, Dominik (October 13, 2024). "Pokemon Developer Comments on Massive Data Breach". Game Rant. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  6. ^ Sharma, Anubhav (October 14, 2024). "Massive Game Freak leak exposes employee info". Notebookcheck.
  7. ^ Waqas (October 13, 2024). "Teraleak: Pokémon Developer Game Freak Hacked; Decades of Data Leaked". hackread.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  8. ^ Litchfield, Ted (2024-10-13). "Pokémon dev Game Freak appears to have suffered a 'teraleak' that includes 25+ years of never-before-seen Pokémon art, assets, documents, and even canceled movies". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  9. ^ GAMEFREAK Inc. (October 10, 2024). "Notice and apology regarding the leak of personal information due to unauthorized access" (PDF). GAMEFREAK.
  10. ^ Welsh, Oli (October 14, 2024). "Pokémon developer Game Freak suffers massive data leak". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-10-14.