Someone call Detective Pikachu. The developer behind Pokémon has admitted that it suffered a data breach in the summer.
Game Freak has revealed that 2,606 items of employee data have been taken in an “unauthorized access by a third party.”
While the scale may seem small compared to other data breaches this month – including Comcast’s – news reports suggest that it’s not just employee data that has been taken, but also IP.
Apologetic Statement
Game Freak has released a statement (in Japanese) in which it has given details of the breach and shares that full names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of both current and former employees plus contract workers have been taken. Some of these details have since been shared online.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may have caused to all concerned,” it says, adding “Those who cannot be contacted individually due to retirement or other reasons will be notified in this announcement, and a contact person will be set up to respond to inquiries regarding this matter. ”
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The statement also says that the company has already taken action.
Game Freak explains: “We have already rebuilt and inspected the server, and will strive to prevent recurrence by further strengthening our security measures.”
IP Stolen Too?
However, the statement doesn’t mention the other data, which press reports suggest has also been stolen and circulated.
Game Freak has been working on the Nintendo-exclusive video game series since 1996 and, according to Video Games Chronicle, is “one of the three companies with a controlling stake in the Pokémon franchise.”
Nintendo Life was one of the first on the story and suggests that data relating to this long-term relationship has also been stolen, including “source code, new games, past projects and beta Pokémon designs that were never used.”
Nintendo Everything adds that the stolen material specifically includes source code for Pokémon DS titles, the codename, Gaia, for the tenth generation of the Pokémon, which is being designed for the successor for the Nintendo Switch – codenamed “Ounce.” And there is mention of “Ikkaku,” which is the codename for the upcoming release, Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
Where Is the Data Being Shared?
PC Gamer says that PokeLeaks subreddit is “awash with content supposedly obtained in the hack.” The news website adds that a moderator on r/PokeLeaks, vagrantwade, shares that this Reddit team is now “having to sift through a bunch of fakes that people are now trying to sneak through.”
The X account for CentroLeaks is also publishing a deluge of information.
The PC Gamer editorial team is also suggesting that this might actually be two leaks and not one, hence why Game Freak has only acknowledged the leak of employee data so far. In that case, there may be another statement from the developer soon.
