Summary
- Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s starters were revealed earlier this week, but it turns out they’d actually leaked ahead of time.
- Shortly before the showcase, a leaked image covered with Game Freak watermarks showing off the starters was shared online.
- The individual in question claimed they got their hands on the image because their dad work at The Pokemon Company as a translator.
Earlier this week, Pokemon Legends: Z-A was shown off for the very first time, giving us a look at new mechanics, the expanded city of Lumiose, and a look at the game’s three starter Pokemon, which are Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile. They were the subject of a lot of rumors before their reveal, with some even claiming that leaked art for the Pokemon World Championships had already revealed them.
Those rumors turned out to be false, and it’s starting to get very difficult to verify the credibility of a lot of Pokemon leaks out there at the moment, especially after the massive data breach that Game Freak suffered not too long ago. That might be why, when the starters were actually leaked right before the Pokemon Presents showcase, it passed a lot of people by.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Starters Actually Leaked Ahead Of The Trailer Reveal
After the showcase had been and gone, a Reddit user called Icy-ConcentrationC noticed that an anonymous person had managed to find an image of the starters, seemingly taken from a rough draft of the trailer, and posted it online. This apparently took place just four minutes before the show actually went live, and the person in question claims to have a father that works at The Pokemon Company as a translator.
Related
Pokémon’s Graphics Are The Worst Of Both Worlds
Legends: Z-A doesn’t have the polish of triple-A or the personality of an indie.
It sounds like another case of ‘my dad works at Nintendo’, but the image that is shared is unmistakably from the actual game itself, plastered with Game Freak watermarks, and accurately depicts the game’s starters. Seems to be pretty legit, so one can only assume that someone’s dad may soon find themselves in a heap of trouble should Nintendo find out who they are.
We’ll have to cross our fingers and hope that Nintendo’s ninjas are lenient, but it does go to show that even the most secretive of projects can have breaches. With how leaky Pokemon has been over the past few months, I expect we might see a few more before the game’s release, which is penciled in for Late 2025 right now. Even Pokemon is scared of GTA 6, huh?
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo, The Pokemon Company