The Japanese language statement carries a date of October 10, 2024, and does not mention the Pokémon data that has emerged since.
In the statement, Game Freak apologized to all those affected by the data breach and insisted the vulnerability at the heart of the hack was since rebuilt.
ORIGINAL STORY: Pokémon developer Game Freak has reportedly suffered a significant hack resulting in the leak of stolen data that includes codenames for 10th generation Pokémon games and even the Nintendo Switch 2.
As reported by Nintendo Life, data leaked includes the codename of Nintendo’s next-gen console (reportedly “Ounce”), the codename of the unannounced 10th generation Pokémon game (reportedly “Gaia”), and the codename of the announced Pokemon Legends: Z-A (“Ikkaku”).
As for Pokémon, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has a vague 2025 release window, with Nintendo saying it’s coming to “Nintendo Switch systems.” That phrase sparked speculation that Pokémon Legends: Z-A is also coming to Switch 2.
UPDATE: A statement from Game Freak confirms that the business experienced a data breach in August 2024.
The business claimed that 2,606 instances of the names and email addresses of current, former, and contract employees were unlawfully accessed from its server. The statement in Japanese states that it was written on October 10, 2024, and it makes no reference to the Pokémon information that has since surfaced.
Game Freak apologized in the statement to everyone impacted by the data breach and stated that the hack’s core vulnerability had been fixed.
ORIGINAL STORY: It has been reported that Game Freak, the maker of Pokémon video games, was the victim of a major hack that exposed codenames for both the Nintendo Switch 2 and 10th generation Pokémon games.
Nintendo Life reports that codenames for Nintendo’s upcoming console (codenamed “Ounce”), the unannounced 10th generation Pokémon game (codenamed “Gaia”), and the codename for the confirmed Pokemon Legends: Z-A (“Ikkaku”) have all been leaked.
A statement regarding the leaks has not been released by The Pokémon Company or Nintendo. For an answer, IGN has reached out to both. (UPDATE: The preceding statement was released by the Pokémon Company. ).
The codenames “K” and “N” for two variants of the 10th generation Pokémon game are included in the leak; these could be a hint that Nintendo plans to release the game as a cross-gen title for both the Switch and its successor. The target platform is mentioned as “Ounce,” according to Nintendo Life.
There are also reportedly references to a Pokémon game called “Synapse.”. It’s reported that this unannounced game is a Pokémon MMO of some kind and that it’s being co-developed with another studio.
Somewhere, it has been reported that the source code for the DS games Pokémon HeartGold, SoulSilver, Black 2, and White 2 has leaked, leading to the appearance of game music and other pilfered, unused assets for Pokémon online.
Plot details regarding an unofficial follow-up to the 2019 Detective Pikachu film, dubbed The Great Detective Pikachu, have been discovered outside of the games themselves. It’s unclear what became of this film, which was supposed to be directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer, Kong: Skull Island) and released in 2024. It is true that there is evidence to support the idea of a trilogy of live-action Pokémon films, the third of which seemed to center on the Game Boy.
A Netflix live-action Pokémon series that has not yet been revealed is mentioned among the data, which also includes everything from email meeting summaries to Pokémon lore information.
This Pokémon leak brings to mind the infamous Nintendo “gigaleak” of 2020, which at the time was the largest leak of insider information about video games ever released and included prototypes, source code, development tools, internal communications, and previously undiscovered canceled games.
In advance of an official announcement, the community has given Nintendo’s upcoming console, code-named Switch 2, a secret. Prototype photos of the Switch replacement surfaced online last month. Nintendo hasn’t yet responded to the pictures.
What we do have is announcements from developers that they intend to release their next games on the Switch 2. Nintendo anticipates having an abundance of stock available when the Switch 2 does eventually launch, which should help to prevent scalping.
Regarding Pokémon, Nintendo has stated that Pokémon Legends: Z-A will launch on “Nintendo Switch systems” in 2025, but this is a very broad timeline. It was said in a way that raised rumors of Pokémon Legends: Z-A arriving on the Switch 2.
The gap between the biggest Pokémon releases in the history of the franchise will be one of the longest for fans. In 2024, the Pokémon Trading Card Game for mobile devices will be the most anticipated series release, as there are no news reports of a remake or mainline entries coming out this year.
Wesley is IGN’s UK News Editor. You can follow him at @wyp100 on Twitter. Wesley can be contacted privately at wyp100@proton . me or via email at wesley_yinpoole@ign . com.
