After several of its classic game prototypes and assets were leaked back in 2020, Nintendo has finally acknowledged the event and has increased its security then.
As transcribed by Twitter user NStyles (via VGC), Nintendo was asked during its annual shareholder meeting in Kyoto, Japan, what it stance was on iQue, the Chinese brand that was created to release Nintendo content and was included in the big leak.
“The PC and mobile games market in China is large, but dedicated games consoles are not so large,” Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said. “Together with Tencent, we want to continue to popularize them. We are working with experts on information leaks. We have also introduced information security management.”
When the leak first occurred, internal documentation and data for N64, GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Wii projects circulated online, giving fans a look behind the curtain of the company and its preservation efforts. One group of fans used the documents to restore a 30-year-old soundtrack for Super Mario World, while another dedicated modder spent nine months repairing a prototype SNES version of Super Mario Kart that included a track editor.
The Nintendo “gigaleak” saw a staggering amount of content released online, including the legendary Zelda: Ocarina of Time Space World demo, the shocking reveal that Luigi was actually in Super Mario 64 the whole time, and a number of playable prototypes of famous games like Super Mario Kart and Yoshi’s Island.
Nintendo is also infamous for its litigation and takedowns related to its IP, as recent stories have seen the software giant take aim at YouTube channels for hosting soundtracks from its games, issuing cease-and-desist notices to fan projects, and calling in its lawyers to cancel a themed tournament. Not even uploads of out-of-print strategy books are safe from Nintendo, as the company issued a takedown notice to an uploader who shared scans of the charming Super Mario 64 guide.
Source: Gamespot
