Pokemon Sword and Shield is a major hit on the Nintendo Switch, selling over 16 million units in just six weeks (and more since then no doubt). But one of the things that weighed down the launch in the eyes of some were the massive leaks that came out and showed numerous unrevealed Pokemon, their evolutions, the Dynamax and Gigantamax forms, and more. This was against Nintendo’s wishes, and so they went on a quest to find out who did this and punish them for it.
Sure enough, they have found it, and VG247 was able to get a statement from Nintendo on the subject.
“In early November, Nintendo identified a number of photographs taken from game play that revealed multiple new and unannounced Pokemon from Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield.”
“These photographs had been posted online and Nintendo, together with The Pokemon Company, quickly identified the person responsible for these leaks, and took immediate action.
“These Pokemon were leaked by a reviewer for the Portuguese website FNintendo, who had received an early copy of the game for review purposes. Both he and FNintendo failed to handle confidential material, resulting in a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between Nintendo and the media outlet. As a result, Nintendo will no longer work with FNintendo.”
“Nintendo will always protect its intellectual property and brands. Leaks hurt not just Nintendo, but the thousands of employees who work hard to bring games to market, and the millions of fans around the world who look forward to news and surprises.
“To surprise and delight players through new experiences is a shared passion for Nintendo and The Pokemon Company. We will pursue all avenues to preserve surprises for players of future Pokemon titles.”
This kind of a leak hurts websites like ours too, as it makes Nintendo more restrictive in who they give review codes out to. So if you work for a website and get a review copy, honor the agreement, or pay the consequences.
