Ahead of the launch of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, developer Game Freak currently finds itself assessing the damage of a major leak. The breach began circulating on October 10, 2024, with thousands of internal files for several unreleased Pokémon projects hitting the internet within hours. After a weekend of silence from the company on the matter, Game Freak is taking action.
In a recent statement issued to employees, as reported by Nintendo Everything, it clarifies that CEO Satoshi Tajiri “has discovered that personal information of employees and others was leaked in connection with unauthorized access to our server.” Crucially, the leak originated in August, with details of the studio’s new Pokémon game, Legends: Z-A, and others now only just emerging.
Alongside heaps of unfinished files, concept art, and more for the new Switch game, the studio’s employees have been affected on a personal level. The leak is confirmed to have compromised over 2,000 items of personal information regarding current and former employees, as the Pokémon game studio says that “for those who cannot be contacted individually due to resignation or other reasons, we will notify them through this announcement and set up a contact point to respond to inquiries regarding this matter.”

Now, Game Freak is looking to bolster the protection of its servers. The statement explains that the developer has “already rebuilt and inspected the server and will strive to prevent recurrence by further strengthening our security measures.” Game Freak is the latest studio to find itself targeted by hackers following the major breaches of Insomniac Games and Rockstar Games.
Despite this, Pokémon: Legends Z-A seemingly remains on track to potentially release in 2025. However, a concrete release date is yet to be determined, and it’s possible this leak may have set back development. The forthcoming title will bring players to Lumiose City, a location based on the visual aesthetic of Paris. In February, Nintendo confirmed that the game would be “set entirely within Lumiose City” when it arrives on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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