 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2025) |
| Date | March 2018[citation needed] Public release: May 31, 2018; Mar 19, 2020 – Sep 18, 2022[1][failed verification] |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Nintendo Gigaleak |
| Type | Data breach |
| Target | Nintendo Co., Ltd. |
| Suspects | Zammis Clark |
TheNintendo data leak, also known as theNintendo Gigaleak, is a series ofleaks of data from the Japanese video game companyNintendo on the anonymousimageboard website4chan. The leak started in March 2018, but became most prominent in 2020.[2] Ten main sets of data leaked on 4chan, ranging from game and console source code to internal documentation and development tools. The name "Gigaleak" mainly refers to the second leak on July 24, 2020, which was 3 gigabytes in size. The leaks are believed to have come from companies contracted by Nintendo in the design of these consoles,[3] and/or from individuals previously convicted of intrusion into Nintendo systems.[4][5][6] An earlier, much smaller leak had also occurred in 2018 which contained theNintendo Space World 1997 demos forPokémon Gold andSilver.[7] A second large-scale leak around October 2024 named theTeraleak reportedly included the source code forPokémon Legends: Z-A and other assets for variousPokémon games.
The leaks are infamous for the sheer size and the amount of internal material leaked;video game journalists have described the magnitude of the leaks as unprecedented, and suggested that they might have significant effects foremulation andpreservationists, in addition to the legal questions posed by the leak. In June 2022, Nintendo acknowledged the leaks whilst assuring an increase to their overall security.
Nintendo is a Japanesevideo game developer andpublisher that produces bothsoftware andhardware.[8] Its hardware products include the handheldGame Boy and Nintendo DS families and home consoles such as theNintendo Entertainment System (NES),Super NES,Nintendo 64 (N64),GameCube, andWii. Software Nintendo produces includes popular franchises such asMario,The Legend of Zelda, andPokémon.[9] Ethan Gach ofKotaku described Nintendo as "notoriously secretive" about development.[8]
Nintendo is aggressive in ensuring itsintellectual property in both hardware and software is protected.[10][11] In a notable case, Nintendo, with the assistance of the USFederal Bureau of Investigation, sought enforcement action against Ryan Hernandez, an American hacker who infiltrated Nintendo's internal database to leak plans of what games and hardware Nintendo planned to announce for upcoming shows like theElectronic Entertainment Expo. In January 2020, Hernandez pled guilty to stealing the information from Nintendo.[12]
Beginning in March 2018, information began to spread about a trove of stolen data from Nintendo's servers being leaked by hackers via the anonymous imageboard website 4chan.[5][6] The leaks began with smaller releases, such as iQue PlayerROMs and early Pokémon designs. The leaks began to gain significant traction in early May 2020, whensource code for Nintendo's consoles appeared online. Because the leaked material included specifications related to the Wii, the companyBroadOn, which Nintendo had contracted to help design the console, was identified as one potential source of the leaks.[3] Another possible source wasZammis Clark, a BritishMalwarebytes employee and hacker who in 2019 pleaded guilty to hacking charges and received asuspended sentence of 15 months for infiltrating Microsoft and Nintendo's servers between March and May 2018.[13][5][6] According to reporting by journalist Jeremy Kirk ofBank Info Security, Clark sent the data he stole to several of his acquaintances, who subsequently began leaking the information on 4chan. According to Kirk, Nintendo likely knew the material would eventually be leaked.[5] Further evidence to support the source being Clark can be found in the file modification dates of some released files, dated to March and May 2018, the same timeframe Clark allegedly had access.
In late July 2020, a second set of leaked data several gigabytes in size was released. Journalists and Nintendo fans dubbed this leak the "Gigaleak".[14] The leak comprised information about the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Nintendo 64 consoles and their games,[15] including prototypes and data related toStar Fox andStar Fox 2, whose veracity was confirmed by Nintendo programmerDylan Cuthbert.[16][17] The leak also contained personal files of the developers, leading to concerns about privacy depending on how the information was shared.[15] Hacktivistmaia arson crimew was credited for the leak byBleeping Computer, but toldTom's Guide that said leak did not originate with it.[18]
In the first week of September 2020, a third, smaller set of information was leaked on 4chan. The leaks consisted of documents for two unreleased GameCube models. The first model appeared to be a hybrid console version of the GameCube similar to the Nintendo Switch, fitted with a built-in display and able to connect to a TV via a docking station.[19][20] A backup of the Wii's hardware repository (codenamed "Tako", later "Vegas" by ATi), dated May 23, 2006, was also leaked. This repository contained a block diagram for a portable version of the Wii,Verilog files for near-final versions of the Wii components, and a 2003ATI proposal for a console that would natively render games atHD video resolutions similar to theXbox 360 andPlayStation 3, include slots for bothSD andmemory cards, which was tentatively scheduled for a Christmas 2005 release.[21] This data set also contained a disc image of the previously lost Wii Startup Disc, a disc shipped with early Wii units to install the firmware.[22]
A fourth set of information was leaked in 4chan on the second week of September 2020 (dubbed as "Gigaleak 3"). This set contains the internal documents forWii Sports andWii Sports Resort, source code to the Nintendo DSi boot ROM and some DSi apps, and a Game Boy and Game Boy Color ROM lot[23] which contains released and unreleased games for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color along with their prototype and unreleased localized versions. One such game is the cancelledPokémon Picross for Game Boy Color which, prior to the leak, was only previously seen in Japanese gaming magazines in 1999.[24]
A fifth set of information was leaked in 4chan on September 30, 2020. This set contains the debug and demo ROMs forPokémon Ranger,Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team andPokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, internal tools for theNintendo 3DS, and aFamicom Disk System ROM lot containing released and unreleased games. One of which was an unreleased port ofBalloon Fight for the Famicom Disk System which had never been officially announced by Nintendo during the Famicom Disk System's lifespan.[25]
Multiple sets were leaked in October 2020. The sixth set of information was leaked on October 17, 2020, containing theGit repository forPokémon Sun and Moon andits updated rereleases, previously unseen Wii software used by Nintendo during manufacturing and repair, multiple versions of the Wii's internal operating system, as well as a pre-release version of the Wii system menu. The seventh set of information was leaked on October 21, 2020, containing two password-protected zip files later found to contain two debug builds ofPokémon Sword dated March 2018 and December 2017, respectively. The builds appear to have been based onPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, with related assets found within the builds. The eighth set of information was leaked on October 22, 2020, containing another two split password-protected zip files which they were later found to be a May 2018 debug build ofPokémon Sword.
A ninth set of data was leaked in December 2020, which was primarily focused on early prototype designs of theNintendo Switch and a prerelease SDK for the unit. Although the Nintendo Switch name had been finalized by 2014, this early design was closer in power to the 3DS, had a circular display, and connected to televisions through a wireless connection as opposed to a docking station. The leak also contained information on Nintendo's surveillance of and attempts to hire one Belgian hacker who was active in the 3DShomebrew scene.[26] Alongside this, the source code for the Switch boot ROM was leaked, including both hardware revisions.
A tenth set of data was leaked in July 2021, containing source code for the Wii Service program, debug and prototype builds ofPokémon X and Y,Pokémon Emerald,Pokémon Diamond and Pearl,Pokémon: Let's Go Eevee!,[27] the full development repository for the cancellediQue Box (a GameCube-based successor to theiQue and related GameCube files), a personal email backup from a manager ofNintendo SPD from 2002 to 2006, and documents for systems like the Wii and the Nintendo Switch'sGame Card reader,[28] including early designs of theWii Remote.[29] Early images featuring enemies, bosses, NPCs, power-ups, and objects inNew Super Mario Bros. were also leaked. These early screenshots include an earlyBob-omb that is looking atMario, and a BalloonBoo with a different mouth.
In October 2024, over three years after the last outpour, an eleventh batch of data was leaked, stated by the leaker to be as a result of a separate hack, this time focusing on assets fromGame Freak relevant to thePokémon franchise. Game Freak confirmed the leak's legitimacy shortly afterwards, stating that their offices were breached the preceding August due to "unauthorized access to our servers by a third party."[30][31] The leak, colloquially referred to as the "Teraleak" in reference to the prior "Gigaleak",[32] included material such as source code, concept art, placeholder assets, extensive writeups on the series' lore, and company meetings regarding current and prospective multimedia adaptations.[32][33][34][35] The leaked material additionally included alleged codenames for futurePokémon titles[33] and the planned successor to theNintendo Switch[34] (which was later revealed asNintendo Switch 2), as well asthe personal information of multiple Game Freak staffers.[30]
The leaked data is estimated to be threegigabytes that had been released as of May 4, 2020,[8][36] and the drive being two terabytes large. The oldest material dates to the late 1980s.[5] The leaks include (but are not limited to):
In addition to source code, the July 2020 leak included a number of video gameprototypes, as well as cut content. A prototype ofYoshi's Island that does not featureYoshi as the protagonist was uncovered; its title,Super Donkey, suggests it may have been considered as a newDonkey Kong game before being repurposed for Yoshi.[41][42] Earlysprites from various games, includingPilotwings when it was known asDragonfly, were also discovered.[41][43]
Among the most notable revelations was the discovery of an official3D model ofLuigi forSuper Mario 64, corroborating developer interviewers at the time of the game's release that they had intended to include Luigi as a second co-operative character but had to cut this feature.[41][44] This validated a longstanding desire in the Mario fanbase to see Luigi in the game, known as "L is real".[45] Another major discovery was level maps intended for an unreleased64DDexpansion pack forThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.[46] These various Zelda assets were assembled by fans to recreate a dungeon that was originally only viewable in pre-release screenshots.[47]
The leaks included the software that was necessary to run the WorkBoy, a canceled Game Boy accessory that would have addedpersonal digital assistant features to the handheld. Only two prototypes of the WorkBoy were known to exist, and the software from the leak was used to verify the operation of one of the WorkBoys.[48] In 2021, fans used theSuper Mario Advance source code to track down thesamples used to composeSuper Mario World's soundtrack and recreated the music as it would have sounded before being compressed to fit the SNES's limitations.[49]
Video game journalists noted the magnitude of the leaks and labeled them significant and unprecedented.[8][36][38][39] Journalist Alex Donaldson described the leak as "of biblical, rarely heard of proportions",[5] while Lucas White ofSiliconera wrote that the leak "could be one of the biggest leaks in the medium's history."[39]
Because the source code of various Nintendo consoles was leaked, journalists have noted the various after-effects the leak might have. Gach wrote that the leaked information "would be of great interest to emulation enthusiasts,data miners, and anyone curious about" Nintendo's history.[8] The information could be used to enhance the accuracy of Nintendo console emulators or createclone systems that function identically to the original hardware. Such actions, however, would be illegal, and developers who commit them could face prosecution from Nintendo.[8][36] For instance, the developers ofDolphin, a GameCube and Wii emulator, stated that using any of the leaked source code would lead to the Dolphin project's immediate shutdown.[50] Nonetheless, the financial effects of the leak on Nintendo are expected to be minimal, as the leaked material is over a decade old.[6]
White and Sam Chandler ofShacknews suggested that the leaks would be important for video game preservation efforts.[39][51] Some preservationists that have looked at the data commented on the meticulousness with which Nintendo saved its past work, which they wished other video game companies would emulate, as it would greatly assist preservation efforts. However, these preservationists raised moral and ethical questions about whether they could use the data from the 2020 leaks in a legal manner without knowing their source and legitimacy. Andrew Webster ofThe Verge found this situation similar to the 2014Sony Pictures hack, in which "all kinds of salacious internal details" aboutSony Pictures were illegally released.[52]
During an annual shareholder meeting in June 2022, Nintendo was asked about the leaks as well as Chinese video game companyiQue relating to rumours they had been a source for the information leaks. In response, Nintendo PresidentShuntaro Furukawa reassured that they were working with experts to deal with information leaks by stating they had "introducedinformation security management", as well as acknowledging the company would continue to advance into the Chinese market with help fromTencent.[53] Following the meeting, Nintendo published a statement further addressing their security and further detailed information security management.[54][55]
Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of other companies, and in turn expects others to respect ours as well," Nintendo said in an e-mailed statement. "Nintendo is seeking the removal of the content, as we vigorously protect against infringement of our intellectual property rights.
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