Pokemon Sword and Shield Developers Suing Leakers. Call That.. a Pikasue

On November 1st, Pokemon Sword and Shield leaks hit the internet and spread like the plague. To say the least, the Pokemon Company were less than happy and are currently taking legal action. Forbes reported that The Pokemon Company International (TPCi) are currently hunting down three unidentified US residents – particularly looking for those who posted pictures of previously unseen Pokemon from the unreleased (at the time) strategy guide.

An outside forensic expert was hired and four Discord users were identified. Subpoenas are being served on Discord and 4chan to get their help to hunt down the leakers.

Included in the leaks were evolution’s of the Gen 8 Starter Pokemon consisting of Scorbunny, Sobble, and Grookey and a few in the Gigantamax species. Evidence in the lawsuit contain 38 exhibits with 19 being leaked images. The Pokemon Company are looking for punitive damages for fucking with their release schedule.

So everyone developing Pokemon Sword and Shield, and those who have access to unreleased information have to sign an NDA – it’s just common business practice. And i’d be just as mad as TPCi in this case. First of all, one of our own leaked the information. The trust is gone. And secondly, nowadays, secrecy in video games is your money maker. There is so much competition in the space and in order to keep the excitement rising about your game, you have to be precise with your announcements. Granted, it’s Pokemon, and people would have eaten this game up regardless, but it’s out of principle.

Leaking anything is the most selfish thing you can do. Just to get a little clout you can ruin something for the masses. Something that people have been excited for, for years. Fuck that. They have to pass a law that makes this a felony.

“So… what are you in for?”
“I murdered someone. What about you?”
“I leaked information on the new Pokemon”