Pokemon Sword and Shield Leak Lawsuit Settled

A lawsuit over the leak of material related to Pokemon Sword and Shield on Nintendo Switch has now been settled. Filed by The Pokemon Company in 2019, the complaint alleged that two leakers spread information about the game online that was obtained through its strategy guide before it was made available. One of these defendants worked for the company that printed the strategy guide, which is how the material was obtained. The leakers allegedly spread screenshots from the guide via Discord, where they then were shared across the internet. As part of the settlement, the leakers will have to pay $150,000, as well as attorney fees for The Pokemon Company.

The leaks from the two defendants apparently revealed features that had not been announced at the time they were shared online. This included some of the Gigantamax forms included in the game. Considering the fact that Gigantamax forms played a major role in the storyline, it seems likely a lot of fans wouldn’t want to see them before release. Hopefully, the lawsuit will dissuade other leakers from spoiling content from future games, such as Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, or Pokemon Legends: Arceus. It’s always a shame when a game’s secrets end up revealed for those that would prefer not to see them!

Despite a number of leaks related to the game, Pokemon Sword and Shield has found significant success on Nintendo Switch. The two versions of the game have sold more than 21 million copies since their release, making Sword and Shield one of the best-selling games on the platform. The eighth Pokemon generation has proven to be incredibly popular with fans, and the release of the game’s expansion pass has only added to that popularity. It’s impossible to say whether or not these leaks hurt sales, but clearly Sword and Shield found significant success for The Pokemon Company, regardless.

Pokemon Sword and Shield is available now, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Are you a fan of Pokemon Sword and Shield? Were you spoiled by some of the leaks from the game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

[H/T: Polygon]