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Those who leaked images of Pokémon Sword and Shield will be pursued in a new lawsuit filed by Pokémon Company International (via Forbes).
Images of new Generation 8 and Gigantamax Pokémon were shared on Discord and 4Chan, ripped from the Pokémon Sword and Shield strategy guide. Of course, these then did the rounds on social media sites and media outlets: the suit claims 300 pages on “dozens of platforms that linked to websites containing the leaked Strategy Guide pictures.” This made Pokémon Company International very unhappy.
But, the defendants haven’t been identified beyond their online personae. It has enlisted the aid of forensic hotshots and lawyers from Perkins Coie to get a fix on the leakers, who are currently referred to as “John/Jane Does” in the lawsuit. In consequence, Pokémon Company International would like
to find out who they are. The leaks led to “irreparable injury” to the company, and Perkins Coie consider Pokémon Company International to be “entitled to damages in an amount to be proven at trial.”
Pokémon Sword and Shield had a bumpy ride to release, with the discovery of no national dex and missing previous Generation Pokémon being an especially sore spot for fans. Not only this, but the two new games included an autosave, a way to affect a Pokémon’s Nature, and the daunting Dynamax Raids. The controversial changes didn’t seem to hurt its commercial performance, however, because it is the fastest-selling Switch game to date.
Pokémon Sword and Shield is out now for the Nintendo Switch.
