More than a week and a half before the game’s scheduled launch, previously unheard Pokémon Scarlet & Violent content is already beginning to leak.
Although The Pokémon Company usually keeps its games under wraps before they are released, it appears that some copies of its most recent game are now in the hands of the general public, raising the possibility of spoilers.

Around the time of writing, or nearly eight hours ago at 1 am GMT on Sunday, leaked screenshots had only begun to circulate on social media.

A few minutes later, YouTuber Austin John Plays published a “PSA” video notifying viewers that leaks had just begun to surface and cautioning them that they would probably start to proliferate on social media.

Given that many of the screenshots that have leaked feature dialogue in Spanish, the primary source at the moment appears to be from a Spanish-speaking nation. These screens include a number of Pokémon that have not yet been publicly revealed.

A social media user compiled screenshots and posted them for a few hours before deleting them, urging their followers to preserve and repost the photographs.

The photographs may soon be extensively shared on social media, which could make it difficult to avoid them.

With only 11 days until the game’s release, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company will be worried that the game already seems to have found its way into some players’ hands. For the time being, the leaks seem to be limited to one or two sources.

It’s not the first time in recent years that the Pokemon series has been the victim of a high-profile leak: When Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released in January, dozens of players were already streaming the game on Twitch a week before the official release date thanks to a build of the game shared on piracy sites.

Twitch users also began live streaming beta versions of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl in November 2021, up to ten days before their publication.

In February 2020, Nintendo publicly severed connections with a Portuguese website after it was discovered that it was responsible for some pre-release Pokémon Sword and Shield leaks. This was the most well-known Pokémon leak incident to date.