Important takeaways
- The hacker behind the massive Game Freak leak claims to have a playable version of Pokemon Legends: ZA.
- However, they won't be releasing it to the public, and have now shared details about the upcoming release.
The person behind the massive Game Freak hack – information from which is still leaking out – claims to have a playable build of the upcoming Pokemon Legends: ZA.
They claim to have played through an internal PC build from start to finish, but that they have no plans to share the game online.
In Game Freak's statement about the leaks, it revealed that the hacker gained “unauthorized access to [its] servers” way back in August, so they've really had time to play through Legends: ZA.
After playing the game, they revealed that Stunfisk appears, the shiny sound from Legends: Arceus is back, and it's “really fun” despite the lag. But that's all they're willing to share right now, which is probably for the best.
GTA 6, Wolverine, And Half-Life 2: Leaks of this size are not a good idea
Hacking into a company like Game Freak and catching Nintendo's wrath is one thing, but leaking the builds of an upcoming game? Gary Bowser served 14 months of a 40 month prison sentence and now owes Nintendo $14 million for the piracy. Imagine if Bowser had leaked an upcoming blockbuster in a franchise as big as Pokemon.
The past two years have seen a surprising number of historic game leaks, such as GTA 6. Early images of a playable build were shared online, earning the hacker an indefinite stay in hospital confinement until he is “no longer a danger.”
Family
What's next for Nintendo after the Pokemon leaks?
Nintendo has previously resorted to legal retaliation in cases like this, and Pokemon feels like the biggest leak yet.
In late 2023, the ransomware group Rhysida hacked Insomniac and dumped a terabyte of data online, including a playable PC version of Wolverine. It has yet to be caught, but given the extent of the leak and similar convictions in the past, they will get a lot more than a slap on the wrist if caught. Yet its spree continues, as Rhysida was blamed for an attack at the Seattle airport just last month (as reported by PC Mag).
And of course, one of the most infamous cases in gaming history is the Half-Life 2 beta leak. German programmer Axel Gembe hacked into Valve's network in 2002 and uncovered a goldmine of information in development. Half-Life 2 was later leaked online, along with the source code for the source engine, but there was “no evidence to suggest that Gembe had been responsible” (as reported by Ars Tcehnica). Regardless, after Gembe turned himself in hoping to get a job at Valve, he was arrested and later sentenced to two years of probation for “causing over $250 million in damages”.
Pokemon Legends: ZA is an ambitious new entry in the Pokemon video game series, releasing simultaneously worldwide in 2025. A new adventure awaits in Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both humans and Pokemon .
