Earlier this week, Pokémon developer Game Freak suffered a major leak that contained the source code for past Pokémon games, information on upcoming projects, and more.
The internet has since been in a frenzy scouring through over one terabyte of once-secret information allegedly acquired by the hacker.
We won’t share any images or links to the leaked content here, but we will discuss the good, the bad and the ugly things about this massive breach.
The good
While it’s fair to say that ideally nothing should have leaked, the leak contains a lot of information that is undeniably interesting to many fans of the Pokémon franchise.
Perhaps most excitingly, oodles of beta designs for various Pokémon creatures — that is, versions of the titular monsters still in development and not yet meant for public viewing — have been released as part of the leak. This includes unfinished versions of beloved Pokémon creatures and planned additions that were scrapped entirely.
It’s fascinating to see in-development captures of fan-favourite Pokémon, especially since many were officially released in games decades ago. A long-waiting time capsule has finally been unlocked as fans pour over the designs to see how Game Freak reached their final versions.
Given the strong public interest in these beta designs, it’s surprising that Game Freak hasn’t capitalised on the opportunity to publish an art book containing concept art from their games — a strategy many other major franchises employ. It’s become clear that Game Freak is sitting on a lucrative pile of concept art that fans are greatly interested in, and if they were to publish a collection of designs, there would likely be a lot of buyers.
Beta versions of other game elements have also leaked, such as early versions of in-game songs and gameplay, meaning the leaks have become a treasure trove of information for longtime fans of the popular franchise.
The bad
Something more unfortunate about the leak is that it contains information about upcoming Pokémon titles. While the info is somewhat sparse, it’s enough to potentially damage Game Freak’s future release plans or cause them to reconsider their announcement strategy.
It’s hard to deny that it’s incredibly interesting for fans to get a glimpse into the series’ future, but this could be disastrous for Game Freak and The Pokémon Company. Game reveals must be carefully orchestrated across a variety of internal departments and these types of marketing decisions often require great precision. This leak will do nothing but harm to the teams working hard on the games and trying their best to keep their contents a secret.
Speaking of the developers, it’s no surprise that leaks can damage the morale of employees working hard on video game projects. Developers work hard and often eagerly await the time that their work will finally be revealed to the world, but leaks rob them of their special moment.
While these leaks thankfully don’t go into anything plot-wise, they still tell us some general information about Game Freak’s upcoming content and risk hurting developer morale as a result.
The ugly
Inarguably the worst part of the leak is that Game Freak employees’ personal information was stolen through the hack, putting the affected employees — some of whom are current employees, some former and some who are under contract — at risk.
An official statement from Game Freak confirming the leak states that 2,606 items containing the names and email addresses were accessed as a result of the hack. The company is currently in the process of reaching out to affected employees individually.
Regardless of your stance on the current state of the Pokémon franchise, it’s important to acknowledge that this hack puts innocent employees at risk. These types of leaks are never acceptable, and it’s reassuring to see that Game Freak is prioritising the safety of its affected past and present employees.
Hopefully, Game Freak will increase their online security to prevent putting their workers at risk again in the future.
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While the Pokémon leaks undoubtedly contain incredibly exciting information for fans, it’s important to know this leak contains a lot more than cool beta designs. As fans sift through the hordes of leaked information and Game Freak panics about how they’re going to move forward from here, people’s first concern should be the safety of Game Freak employees and the protection of their personal data.