In August 2014, photos and videos of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS leaked online, showing evidence of unannounced fighters.
The leaks were confirmed after a copyright infringement by Nintendo of America, and proved to be undeniably real with the game’s release later that year. Since then, the origin of the leaks remains a mystery, but thanks to some diligent digging Did you know the game?Liam Robertson, we now have a better idea of what’s going on.
According to Robertson, the leaked footage was taken by an employee of Nintendo of America for the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to review. The images were obtained by the child of a NoA employee, not from the ESRB itself, thanks to a strict security measure taken by the firm.
Details of how the child gained access to the footage remain unclear, but a former NoA employee believes the person accessed Nintendo’s intranet service using a device owned by their parents. Although the original leaker intended to keep the photos and footage to an exclusive tight-knit group of online friends, word spread and eventually it was posted on the 4Chan imageboard site.
Naturally, Nintendo of America was able to trace the origin of the leak and the employee was immediately fired. Yes.
Smash Bros. Check out the video above for more details on the leak, along with several other headlines.