Nintendo’s Pokémon Leak Is About To Get The Same Unofficial PC Port Treatment That Insomniac Has Long Been Familiar With

These past few months have been most excruciating for Game Freak and The Pokémon Company, with the folks there finding themselves the target of this year’s biggest hacks and subsequent leaks in gaming. From employee information and game data to interesting pieces of lore (thanks, Typhlosion), a lot that was never meant to have been exposed to the public has now been exposed.

As the hacker continues to upload all the leaked files, it’s dawning on us that the leak may have been even more consequential than originally expected, considering the rumors swirling about the creation of unofficial PC ports of popular Pokémon titles, much like what happened to Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2.

A Host of Unofficial PC Ports of Pokémon Titles Is Likely on the Horizon

So yes, it appears that the culprit behind the hack will now upload the full source code for Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire and Scarlet/Violet, which justifiably has the community on high alert already.

— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) October 18, 2024

Why? Well, looking back on last year’s Insomniac hack, it’s probably easy to tell what’s going to happen. All doors to unofficial and illegal PC ports of these games have now been opened, giving people the chance to reverse-engineer the code and build a functioning port.

With the source code available, the community’s modders could fundamentally alter, optimize, and even create entirely new versions of these games. It’s basically an uncomfortable ditto of what happened with Spider-Man 2, whose port reportedly even features full keyboard and mouse support.

Now, suppose we’re thinking from the community’s end, yes. In that case, the prospect of being able to mod, graphically improve, and even fix a stuttery mess like Scarlet and Violet is undoubtedly enticing. But all of this comes in such a deeply gray area that it’s difficult to support any of it.

Similarly, sure, the prospect of having a proper PC port of a current-gen Nintendo game is absolutely thrilling, but the ethical concerns and the simple fact that so many folks’ personal information was compromised dampen all excitement.

Legally speaking, too, porting a Pokémon game—especially a Nintendo exclusive—onto PC without permission is a serious infringement on the company’s intellectual property. While modders and software developers might act out of passion, this doesn’t change the reality that they’re navigating murky legal waters.

Considering Nintendo’s history of aggressively sending its whole squadron of legal hitmen after people in such matters, a proper legal storm is likely brewing at the moment, and for now, it’s best to brace ourselves for all that is to come.

The Game Freak hack and the Pokémon leaks paint a grim picture of what’s to come

Beyond the source code, the leak has revealed internal documents, unreleased assets, and details about future projects such as Pokémon Legends: Z-A, becoming a major embarrassment for both Nintendo and Game Freak.

While the companies have claimed to strengthen security measures, this breach has already damaged their reputations significantly. Nintendo may attempt to downplay the issue publicly, but the internal fallout is likely unbelievably massive.

Again, if this leak leads to widespread unauthorized PC ports, we can expect swift legal action from Nintendo. The company has a history of fiercely protecting its intellectual property, and this instance will probably be no different.

But, with all that said, do you think the Pokémon community should embrace the idea of fan-made PC ports and mods? Would you support unofficial projects like these, or should Pokémon remain an exclusive part of Nintendo’s ecosystem?