An account that has actively been leaking information about the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games has been suspended from Twitter, presumably after Nintendo made a DMCA claim. The highly anticipated titles are set to release on November 18, and in the past several months, the number of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet leaks has grown.
All kinds of information has been leaked about Pokemon Scarlet and Violet like version exclusives, evolutions, the entire Pokedex, and even every gym type to be found in Paldea. Many of these leaks, accurate or not, have primarily been shared on Reddit and Twitter, with some of the posters subsequently gaining large followings and reputations for reliability.
One of these rapidly growing Twitter accounts was CentroLeaks, which leaked details about the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Pokedex, among many other things, and grew by nearly 100,000 followers in the first two weeks of November. That jump in size to 323,000 total followers might partly have been what drew the attention of Nintendo, and the account was suspended on November 16. While it’s not certain that the CentroLeaks account was removed due to a Nintendo DMCA claim, it seems a safe guess.
What’s curious is that the CentroLeaks account was first created in November 2016 and has leaked information about other games like Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Unite with seemingly no repercussions. One also can’t help but wonder why Nintendo would make a claim against the account so close to the launch of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, when CentroLeaks’ usefulness to fans seeking pre-launch information will essentially cease on November 18.
However, odds are good that Nintendo is behind the disappearance of CentroLeaks, and a search for other known Pokemon leakers has revealed that at least one other account has also been removed from Twitter. Palkiaorigin, who leaked the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet shiny hunting method on November 15, has been suspended as well. Meanwhile, many other leakers, some of which have large followings and established reputations, are still active on the platform.
The controversy around video game leaks is a longstanding one. Pre-release leaks might please fans eager for information, but they can also be discouraging for developers, who want their hard work displayed in the best light and are probably excited to see fan reactions to the “reveal.” Having game assets leak in an incomplete state also gives people an unrealistic impression of how the final product will be. This was apparent in September when footage of an unfinished Grand Theft Auto 6 leaked and Rockstar issued a statement expressing disappointment, while fans criticized the game’s appearance.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet releases for Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022.
Source: Dexerto
