Nintendo fingers rogue reviewer for Pokmon Sword and Shield leaks • Eurogamer.net

Last November, Pokmon Sword and Shield suffered a series of big leaks in the run up to their release.

Before the game was on shop shelves, large swathes of its Pokdex had been posted online, with new designs of old favourite Pokmon available to view on reddit and other such places.

Leaked: Galarian Mr. Mime and evolution Mr. Rime were splashed all over the internet.

Now, in February, Nintendo and The Pokmon Company have issued a statement on the matter. In short, Nintendo wants you to know it quickly found the culprit behind much of the leaked material: a small Portuguese website named FNintendo it has now severed all ties with.

It’s rare for someone with a review copy of a game to break confidentiality in this way. Journalists regularly sign non-disclosure agreements with publishers to receive copies of games prior to their release, with an embargo time agreed upon in advance for coverage to go live.

But it’s even rarer for a publisher to come out and publicly point the finger at the site responsible, and openly state it will no longer work with it.

Today’s statement speaks to how big a business Pokmon is (enormous, as Pokmon Sword and Shield’s eye-opening recent sales figures show) and how protective The Pokmon Company feels over the outlets Nintendo chooses to send review copies to.

There’s no suggestion of legal action between Nintendo and FNintendo. But this will serve as a warning ahead of Sword and Shield’s upcoming expansions.

Nintendo and The Pokmon Company’s statement follows in full:

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

“These Pokmon were leaked by a reviewer for the Portuguese 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 the 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 Pokmon Company. We will pursue all avenues to preserve surprises for players of future Pokmon titles.”

FNintendo has subsequently posted its own apology, which admits to its reviewer’s actions and states it will no longer work with the person responsible.

source https://entergamingxp.com/2020/02/nintendo-fingers-rogue-reviewer-for-pokmon-sword-and-shield-leaks-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nintendo-fingers-rogue-reviewer-for-pokmon-sword-and-shield-leaks-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net