Towards the end of July, hundreds of files containing never-before-seen source code and date from Nintendo games were leaked online by anonymous users on 4chan. The files covered some of Nintendo's most popular franchises, including titles from The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Super Mario. The entire leak was so massive, the internet began referring to the incident as the "Nintendo Gigaleak."
But what exactly was this leak? How did it happen? What was discovered? And what does this mean for Nintendo? Here's a guide covering everything you need to know about the Nintendo Gigaleak.
What Is It?
The "Nintendo Gigaleak" refers to two anonymous posts on 4chan that each contained a large amount of never-before-seen files from popular Nintendo games. According to IGN, there were "gigabytes' worth of files and documentation from internal Nintendo projects" leaked from the postings. The first post held files from SNES games, while the second had information on N64 titles. The data covered everything from popular Nintendo titles, like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; while also featuring data on unreleased games, such as a canceled Zelda 3.
While people were initially wary regarding the legitimacy of the leaks, people came began to come around due to a number of factors. Firstly, the scope of the Gigaleak was so massive and detailed, it seemed unlikely for someone to fake them. MrCheezee, a popular Nintendo hacker, told Polygon, "Faking it would be as hard," and explained that, in order for a third-party to pull this off, they would've had to design "all these games from scratch." It's something that would be nearly impossible for one person, or even a small group of people, to pull off.
However, the main reason many people have accepted the Gigaleak and its findings as real is that a known developer from Nintendo confirmed the validity in a public tweet.
Dylan Cuthbert is the lead developer from Nintendo's Star Fox games. In the tweet, he admitted that the leaked Star Fox files were real and questioned how a hacker could've found so easily.
What Was Discovered?
As its name might imply, the total number of findings from the Gigaleak was massive - and discoveries are still being made. However, some of the biggest and most prominent discoveries are listed below:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Here are some early maps and unused areas from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Canceled Zelda 2 / Zelda 3
Here are files from what appears to be a canceled Zelda 3 or Zelda 2 remake.
Super Mario World
It looks like in Super Mario World, Yoshi was originally designed to look more like a dinosaur, with a longer neck and legs.
There was also this axed Yoshi sprite that featured him looking like an old man, complete with a long white beard.
It looks like Yoshi wasn't the only character who was originally designed with longer legs - just look at the original Bowser!
There's also this entertaining and never-before-seen Luigi sprite where he appears to be flipping people off.
Super Mario 64
Speaking of Luigi, it appears that at one point, the green-clad plumber was set to make an appearance in Super Mario 64 with his brother.
Yoshi's Island Prototype
Here's an alternate Yoshi's Island prototype that notably features the prefix "Super Mario Bros. 5".
Super Donkey Prototype
Speaking of prototypes, here's what appears to be a never-before-seen Super Donkey game.
Super Mario Kart R Prototype
There's also what appears to be an early version of what eventually became Mario Kart 64.
Canceled Pokémon MMO
Here's an entire presentation covering a Pokémon MMO pitch from iQue, who, according to IGN, is "a support company co-founded by Nintendo."
Never-Before-Seen Pokémon Sprites
Hackers also found some leaked Pokémon sprites in the leaks.
Canceled Dragonfly
Dragonfly, the flight simulator game that eventually became Pilotwings, was never released. But these graphics offer an idea of what the game was originally intended to look like.
How Did This Happen?
Because the original posts were made anonymously, no one has been able to trace back their sources. Additionally, the identities behind the anonymous posters have not been revealed, nor have they commented on their methods.
While the Gigaleak is the biggest leak Nintendo's seen in 2020, it's unfortunately not the first. Back in April, hackers obtained personal information from 160,000 Nintendo accounts, allowing them to make unauthorized purchases using the stolen user IDs and passwords. There have also been a number of prominent Pokémon-related source code leaks throughout the year.
Though Nintendo has yet to offer a reason for the leaks, hacker McCheeze spoke to Polygon about a theory running around the Nintendo fandom, hypothesizing that all the leaks are connected to one massive information breach. However, this is all speculation.
What Does This Mean For Nintendo?
The recurring leaks throughout the year are indicative of a potential issue with Nintendo's cybersecurity. In the past year, Nintendo hackers have illegally gone after personal information and top-secret data - and the sheer size of the information discovered with each hack is only becoming more massive. Plus, given how successful these hackers have been in the past year alone, there's no evidence that these hacks will stop at any point in the future either.
The ethics of hacking is certainly a hot topic in the gaming world. But in the context of the Gigaleak, it's "intrusive" according to Dylan Cuthbert. This data was never intended to go public; and even though to some it may seem like nothing more than numbers and code, to developers, it's "years and years of personal work."
While it can be fun to discover hidden secrets about your favorite gaming franchises, the Nintendo Gigaleak is indicative of a much bigger issue regarding cybersecurity, personal privacy, and legality.
Nintendo has yet to officially comment on the Gigaleak.