Pokemon developer Game Freak suffers a data breach

Japanese game developer Game Freak, the company behind the Pokemon franchise, has suffered a security breach that has exposed the data of 2,606 employees and partners.

The leak first appeared on the 4chan forum in early October and is now circulating on social media and online forums under the name “TeraLeak,” following the 2020 Nintendo leak naming trend known as “GigaLeak”.

TeraLeak contains several gigabytes of information, according to Pokemon leak-tracking social media account Centro LEAKS.

These allegedly include various insider information about video games, including alleged codenames for the Nintendo Switch 2, source code for existing games such as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilvethe, data on the next generation of Pokémon games, as well as an unannounced title.

Game Freak confirms the violation

On October 10, the video game studio confirmed that it experienced a security incident in August, during which a third party gained unauthorized access to its system and exposed the data of 2,606 former and current employees.

“We have already rebuilt and inspected the server and will strive to prevent it from happening again by further strengthening our security measures,” said the Japanese statement, translated by Infosecurity.

“We are contacting affected employees individually (and) will set up a hotline for those who cannot be contacted directly and to handle inquiries about this matter.”

The company did not reveal whether any Pokemon or Nintendo-related data has been exposed or whether the reported leaks are accurate.

The next Pokémon game, Pokémon Legends: ZA, is currently in development and is slated for release in 2025.

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