The internet was rife with Pokémon Sword and Shield leaks in the days before their release – and now The Pokémon Company wants to track down those responsible.
An initial investigation has uncovered several Discord usernames and 4chan posts of interest, Forbes reported. Now, it is seeking legal help to uncover their real-world identities.
The leaks in question stem from an official tips book – Pokémon Sword and Shield: The Official Galar Region Strategy Guide, to be precise – which The Pokémon Company insists was (or should have been) kept on lockdown. But once pictures were snapped of the guide books pages and posted online, they went viral.
In its legal document, The Pokémon Company notes how it had performed background checks on employees with access to the strategy guide before launch. It had required contractors to sign non-disclosure agreements, and hidden physical copies of the books “under tarps”, with no one allowed to bring cameras or smartphones into the area where they were being stored.