The Biggest Reveals from the Nintendo Gigaleak

Leaks are commonplace in the gaming industry. Big companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft often have upcoming game announcements spoiled weeks or months in advance. What is rarer is for leaks to come out about older projects. But that is exactly what has happened over the last month or so with Nintendo in what fans are calling the “Gigaleak.”

Hackers have showcased a variety of canceled games and prototypes from Nintendo. The leaks cover almost the entire history of the Japanese publisher. Everything from hardware projects to titles that never saw the light of day are included in the revelations so far. Here is a rundown of the biggest Nintendo franchise leaks that have come out recently.

A Pokémon MMO that was canceled

A notable part of the leaks was that a Pokémon MMO was in the works in 2004. The project, which was never formally announced, was a complete secret outside of Nintendo and developer iQue. The title would have been an online and offline experience for PC. Players would be able to use the Game Boy Advance as a controller and battle against other trainers online. The MMO would have been based on the third-generation titles Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green. It would also have launched at a time when MMO games were at their most popular.

A Luigi model for Super Mario 64

Almost immediately after Super Mario 64 released, there were rumors that players could unlock Luigi. The character has long appeared alongside his brother in the Mario franchise, so it was only natural such rumors circulated. Although Luigi was eventually included in later remakes, a model for him is not present in the original series.

But that doesn’t mean Nintendo didn’t plan to have him as a playable character. One leak suggested that the company did consider having Luigi, as a model for him exists in the title. Using the leaked assets, a hacker was even able to create a working version of Luigi in Super Mario 64.

Luigi assembly completed! pic.twitter.com/zLaemxVow3
— Padabana (@Padabana) July 25, 2020