Nintendo blacklists website over Pokémon Sword and Shield leaks

• Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have severed ties with a website over leaks last year
• It's rare for a huge company to call out a website in this manner, despite breaking an embargo
• The publication in question has apologised over the incident

In November last year, Pokémon Sword and Shield suffered numerous leaks ahead of release, including the Pokedex and designs of specific Pokémon.  

The incident was something Nintendo and The Pokémon Company took very seriously, with a joint statement released explaining they have discovered the source of the leaks and will no longer work with the publication in question.  

The publication named is Portugese website FNintendo, with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company clearly wanting to make an example of them ahead of the upcoming expansions.  

The joint statement reads: “In early November, Nintendo identified a number of photographs taken from game play that revealed multiple new and unannounced Pokémon from Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. These photographs had been posted online and Nintendo, together with The Pokémon Company, quickly identified the person responsible for these leaks, and took immediate action. 

“These Pokémon were leaked by a reviewer for the Portugese website FNintendo, who had received an early copy of the game for review purposes. Both he and FNintendo failed to handle confidential material, resulting in a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between Nintendo and the media outlet. As a result, Nintendo will no longer work with FNintendo.  

“Nintendo will always protect its intellectual property and brands. Leaks hurt not just Nintendo, but thousands of employees who work hard to bring games to market, and the millions of fans around the world who look forward to news and surprises.  

“To surprise and delight players through new experiences is a shared passion for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. We will pursue all avenues to preserve surprises for players of future Pokémon titles.” 

FNintendo has since released its own statement, apologizing to Nintendo and explaining they’ve cut ties with the employee responsible. 

The leaks however seemingly haven’t had an impact on sales, with Pokémon Sword and Shield selling over 16 million within the first two months.