Game Freak, a Japanese video game developer known for the iconic Pokémon series, has suffered a significant data breach. The event, referred to as “Teraleak,” was reported by Hackread. The incident has resonated broadly, not just within the gaming community. Pokémon is a cult series that was launched in 1996 and has since gathered a large fan base.
The leak pertains to hundreds of gigabytes of confidential internal data, including concept art, documents, and files from early Pokémon games, as well as upcoming projects. The event created a wave of never-before-seen content and materials related to the Pokémon series, which appeared on social media, forums, and other locations on the internet. Game Freak confirmed the breach, revealing that the personal data of 2,606 employees and contractors had been compromised. The data breach likely occurred in August 2024, but the leaked data didn’t surface online until October 2024.
An expert comment from ESET on the issue:
“This leak of 1 TB of data is highly significant, not only for its size but also because it contains very sensitive information, including source code and employee data. The breach is extremely harmful as it exposes both intellectual property and personal data, which could lead to long-term security threats.
It seems that we are dealing with one of the biggest break-ins in gaming history, so many people will want to get hold of this data. This could potentially lead to the consequences of this event being long-term and really massive. Given that the targeted company is behind the Pokémon series, one of the world’s most well-known brands, this data could unfortunately be widely disseminated, and many individuals may be interested in it.
At the same time, actions to minimize the harmful effects of the leak are already delayed by two months, as the breach was just now located. Now it is crucial for the attacked game developer – Game Freak – to gain as much insight into the attack as possible, respond appropriately, and cooperate with those whose data has been breached.” – comments Kamil Sadkowski, an analyst at the ESET antivirus laboratory.
Source: https://hackread.com/teraleak-pokemon-developer-game-freak-hacked-data-leak/
Source: https://managerplus.pl/pokemony-zhakowane-wyciek-danych-gromadzonych-przez-dziesieciolecia-przez-producenta-gry-19742
