Nintendo data leak
Date | March 2018–present Public release: May 31, 2018 – present Nintendo Co., Ltd. |
---|---|
Suspects | Zammis Clark |
The Nintendo data leak, also known as the Nintendo Gigaleak, is a series of leaks of data from the Japanese video game company Nintendo on the anonymous imageboard website 4chan. The leak started in March 2018, but became most prominent in 2020.[2] Ten main sets of data leaked on 4chan, ranging from game and console source code to internal documentation and development tools. The name "Gigaleak" mainly refers to the second leak on July 24, 2020, which was 3 gigabytes in size. The leaks are believed to have come from companies contracted by Nintendo in the design of these consoles,[3] and/or from individuals previously convicted of intrusion into Nintendo systems.[4][5][6] An earlier, much smaller leak had also occurred in 2018 which contained the Nintendo Space World 1997 demos for Pokémon Gold and Silver.[7]
The leaks are infamous for the sheer size and the amount of internal material leaked;
Background
Nintendo is aggressive in ensuring its
Leaks
Beginning in March 2018, information began to spread about a trove of stolen data from Nintendo's servers being leaked by hackers via the anonymous imageboard website 4chan.[5][6] The leaks began with smaller releases, such as iQue Player ROMs and early Pokémon designs. The leaks began to gain significant traction in early May 2020, when source code for Nintendo's consoles appeared online. Because the leaked material included specifications related to the Wii, the company BroadOn, which Nintendo had contracted to help design the console, was identified as one potential source of the leaks.[3] Another possible source was Zammis Clark, a Malwarebytes employee and hacker who in 2019 pleaded guilty to and was sentenced to 15 months in prison for infiltrating Microsoft and Nintendo's servers between March and May 2018.[5][6] According to reporting by journalist Jeremy Kirk of Bank Info Security, Clark sent the data he stole to several of his acquaintances, who subsequently began leaking the information on 4chan. According to Kirk, Nintendo likely knew the material would eventually be leaked.[5] Further evidence to support the source being Clark can be found in the file modification dates of some released files, dated to March and May 2018, the same timeframe Clark allegedly had access.
In late July 2020, a second set of leaked data several gigabytes in size was released. Journalists and Nintendo fans dubbed this leak the "Gigaleak".
In the first week of September 2020, a third, smaller set of information was leaked on 4chan. The leaks consisted of documents for two unreleased GameCube models. The first model appeared to be a hybrid console version of the GameCube similar to the Nintendo Switch, fitted with a built-in display and able to connect to a TV via a docking station.
A fourth set of information was leaked in 4chan on the second week of September 2020 (dubbed as "Gigaleak 3"). This set contains the internal documents for Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, source code to the Nintendo DSi boot ROM and some DSi apps, and a Game Boy and Game Boy Color ROM lot[22] which contains released and unreleased games for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color along with their prototype and unreleased localized versions. One such game is the cancelled Pokémon Picross for Game Boy Color which, prior to the leak, was only previously seen in Japanese gaming magazines in 1999.
A fifth set of information was leaked in 4chan on September 30, 2020. This set contains the debug and demo ROMs for Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, internal tools for the Nintendo 3DS, and a Famicom Disk System ROM lot containing released and unreleased games. One of which was a unreleased port of Balloon Fight for the Famicom Disk System which had never been officially announced by Nintendo during the Famicom Disk System's lifespan.[23]
Multiple sets were leaked in October 2020. The sixth set of information was leaked on October 17, 2020, containing the
A ninth set of data was leaked in December 2020, which was primarily focused on early prototype designs of the Nintendo Switch and a prerelease SDK for the unit. Although the Nintendo Switch name had been finalized by 2014, this early design was closer in power to the 3DS, had a circular display, and connected to televisions through a wireless connection as opposed to a docking station. The leak also contained information on Nintendo's surveillance of and attempts to hire one Belgian hacker who was active in the 3DS homebrew scene.[24] Alongside this, the source code for the Switch boot ROM was leaked, including both hardware revisions.
A tenth set of data was leaked in July 2021, containing source code for the Wii Service program, debug and prototype builds of
Data
The leaked data is estimated to be over two terabytes,[28] though only three gigabytes had been released as of May 4, 2020.[8] The oldest material dates to the late 1980s.[5] The leaks include (but are not limited to):
- Source code related to the N64, GameCube, and Wii consoles.[28]
- Development repositories for the Game Boy Color Boot ROM and Game Boy Advance BIOS.[29]
- N64 tech demos that test the system's hardware.[8]
- A development repository for the canceled NetCard peripheral for the Game Boy Advance.[29]
- Debugging material, prototypes, source code, and early designs for the Pokémon video games, dating back to the Game Boy installments.[30][31]
- A concept for an online MMO Pokémon game, proposed by iQue and based on FireRed and LeafGreen.[32]
- An official Game Boy emulator.
- A development repository for the "Ensata" Nintendo DS emulator.[29]
- Raw graphics to many SNES and Game Boy games.
- Unreleased games for the NES, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color.
Games with source code or assets leaked
Super NES
Nintendo 64
- 1080° Snowboarding
- Animal Crossing
- Dr. Mario 64
- F-Zero X
- NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
- Mario Kart 64
- Star Fox 64
- Super Mario 64
- Wave Race 64
- Yoshi's Story
Game Boy and Game Boy Color
- Pokémon Red and Blue
- Pokémon Yellow
- Pokémon Gold and Silver
- Pokémon Crystal
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Game Boy Advance
- F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
- Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
- Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
- Pokémon Emerald
- Super Mario Advance
- Wario Land 4
Nintendo DS
Nintendo 3DS
System firmware
- Nintendo 64
- Game Boy Color
- GameCube
- iQue Box (cancelled)
- Game Boy Advance
- iQue Player
- iQue NetCard (cancelled)
- Nintendo DS
- Wii
- Nintendo DSi
- Nintendo 3DS
- Wii U
- Nintendo Switch
Prototypes and development materials
In addition to source code, the July 2020 leak included a number of video game prototypes, as well as cut content. A prototype of Yoshi's Island that does not feature Yoshi as the protagonist was uncovered; its title, Super Donkey, suggests it may have been considered as a new Donkey Kong game before being repurposed for Yoshi.[33][34] Early sprites from various games, including Pilotwings when it was known as Dragonfly, were also discovered.[33][35]
Among the most notable revelations was the discovery of an official
The leaks included the software that was necessary to run the Workboy, a canceled Game Boy accessory that would have added personal digital assistant features to the handheld. Only two prototypes of the Workboy were known to exist, and the software from the leak was used to verify the operation of one of the Workboys.[39] In 2021, fans used the Super Mario Advance source code to track down the samples used to compose Super Mario World's soundtrack and recreated the music as it would have sounded before being compressed to fit the SNES's limitations.[40]
Commentary
Video game journalists noted the magnitude of the leaks and labeled them significant and unprecedented.
Because the source code of various Nintendo consoles was leaked, journalists have noted the various after-effects the leak might have. Gach wrote that the leaked information "would be of great interest to emulation enthusiasts,
White and Sam Chandler of
During an annual shareholder meeting in June 2022, Nintendo was asked about the leaks as well as Chinese video game company iQue relating to rumours they had been a source for the information leaks. In response, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa reassured that they were working with experts to deal with information leaks by stating they had "introduced information security management", as well as acknowledging the company would continue to advance into the Chinese market with help from Tencent.[44] Following the meeting, Nintendo published a statement further addressing their security and further detailed information security management.[45][46]
See also
- List of commercial video games with available source code
- Pokémon Gold and Silver leak
- Windows XP Service Pack 1 source code leak
- Windows Server 2003 source code leak
References
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Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of other companies, and in turn expects others to respect ours as well," Nintendo said in an e-mailed statement. "Nintendo is seeking the removal of the content, as we vigorously protect against infringement of our intellectual property rights.
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