Pokémon Developer Game Freak Hit by Second Major Data Leak
Pokémon developer Game Freak has suffered another significant data breach, revealing alleged plans for future projects through 2030, raising concerns about the studio’s security and development resources.
The leak occurred just one year after a previous breach, dubbed the “teraleak,” exposed internal data regarding unannounced Pokémon games, and prompted Nintendo to seek a subpoena for the hacker’s identity in April. This latest incident comes days before the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, fueling speculation that the same individual is responsible. Details within the leak include purported budgets and concept art for upcoming titles.
Notably, the leaked budget for Pokémon Legends: Z-A is reportedly 2 billion yen (approximately $13 million), a figure some fans consider surprisingly low for a flagship Nintendo series. Discussions online highlight concerns about potential performance issues in future games if investment remains limited. The leaked plans suggest the next mainline game, codenamed Gaia and titled Pokémon Wind and Waves, is slated for release next year, set in Southeast Asia, with a budget of 3 billion yen ($20 million). Further projects include a Legends game set in the Galar region and a title combining multiple regions from past games, with an eleventh generation aiming for a 2030 release. You can learn more about the history of the Pokémon franchise on the official Pokémon website.
While the details offer a glimpse into potential future developments, their validity remains unconfirmed, and plans may have shifted since the data was reportedly compromised. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have been contacted for comment. The release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A is already being impacted by the leak, with copies circulating online and spoilers appearing on platforms like Twitch. This latest breach underscores the growing threat of data security within the gaming industry and could influence how developers protect intellectual property. For more on game development budgets, see Game Developer’s report on game development costs.
Pokémon developer Game Freak has suffered another huge leak of data, revealing the studio’s purported planned projects until 2030.
The leak comes a year to the day after a “teraleak” of “significant internal data” that revealed unannounced Pokémon games. Game Freak later acknowledged it was hacked, admitting personal employee information had been obtained. Then, in April this year, Nintendo filed a request to subpoena Discord for the hacker’s identity.
This new leak, revealing alleged future projects and concept art from new and old games alike, arrives mere days before the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, amid suggestions the same hacker was holding back this information.
The budget for Pokémon Legends: Z-A was reportedly just 2bn yen (around $13m). Typically, Japanese game development budgets are smaller than those we see in the West (for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to lower staff salaries), but this still feels like a very small amount for what is considered one of Nintendo’s most significant series. What’s more, as recent Pokémon games on Switch have suffered from poor performance, there’s concern among the fanbase of a lack of investment to ensure future games run more smoothly.
Across the internet, there’s notable commentary on this aspect of the leak, specifically. The top comment on a reddit thread discussing the leaks simply jokes that the whole leak is “just a Post-It note that says, ‘even lower budget for next game’.” Another comment reflects: “A lot of people are going to complain about the money budget and not enough people will complain about the time budget of these games.” Another poster notes: “The only leak I would care about is that they suddenly get a better engine, and actually treat Pokemon as a modern game with a high budget.”
Within the leak itself, details have been shared purportedly covering the next four games planned until 2030.
Spoiler warning!
The first of these is the next mainline game, the tenth generation, which reportedly has the codename Gaia and will be known as Pokémon Wind and Waves. It’s seemingly set for release next year, followed by DLC in 2027, and will be set in Southeast Asia. Leaked screenshots of concept art show open, jungle areas, while budget-wise it’s reportedly costing 3bn yen – another surprisingly small budget, but hitting roughly $20m, this time, a marked bump over Z-A’s $13m (probably thanks to a series of planned improvements, such as a new engine, which commenters hope will improve performance on console hardware).
This will reportedly be followed by another Legends game, to be set in the Galar region of Sword and Shield – with the fitting codename of Ringo.
Then there’s project Seed, which will reportedly combine multiple regions from past games. Lastly, the eleventh generation is reportedly aiming for a 2030 release.
Of course, it’s worth questioning the validity of this information. Even if the reported details are true, the documents could well be outdated and plans may have changed since. There’s also plenty of fan speculation wrapped up around the details.
Eurogamer has contacted The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for comment on the validity of the leaks.
The news follows leaks of Pokémon Legends: Z-A ahead of its release this Thursday, 16th October. Copies of the game are already out in the wild, are being streamed on Twitch, and illegal ROMs are already available, meaning spoilers are abundant.
