In what appears to be one of the biggest leaks in Pokémon history, troves of information related to multiple incarnations of the video game has leaked online - creating ripples of excitement and concern throughout the fanbase.

Multiple gigabytes of information including source code, artwork, documentation, and other confidential data related to the Nintendo-exclusive game series have been posted online by the hacker, in what has been dubbed the "Teraleak."

Amongst the information that appears to have leaked out are codenames and details for games that have not yet been released. These include "Gaia" (believed to be the codename for the 10th generation Pokémon game), and "Ikkaku" (thought to be related to the upcoming game Pokémon Legends: Z-A.

In addition, leaked documents refer to "Ounce", which appears to be the codename for Nintendo's next generation games console.

In messages posted online, the hacker promises not to ruin the surprises planned in upcoming games.

A possible source for the information is Pokémon developer Game Freak.

In a notice posted on its website on 10 October, Game Freak confirmed that it had suffered a data breach in August which saw hackers illegally accessed its systems.

The company said that the details of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees' names and email addresses had been accessed during the attack.

Game Freak makes no mention that any sensitive data related to the Pokémon series of games was hacked, but does say that the vulnerability exploited by the hackers has since been patched.

The leaks will undoubtedly be exciting for some Pokémon fans, eager to glimpse what the game franchise has planned for the future. But while some fans will eagerly pore over every leaked detail, others will be concerned that their fun will be spoiled by the unauthorised leak.

But I would urge even the most ardent Pokémon fans to show some restraint. So far there no evidence has been shared to suggest that the motivation for the hack was financial (although clearly, there is a market for the information which has been stolen).

Instead, I suspect that the hacker may themselves be an avid fan of the Pokémon games. Nonetheless, their theft and distribution of the data isn't just unethical, it's criminal.

If tens of thousands of video game fans scour the internet in their search for the leaked information, they are demonstrating to Game Freak's hacker and others in the future that there is a strong demand for stolen information.

And where there's demand, someone will be sure to provide a supply.

Better to avoid the leaked information, and not go hunting for it. That's the best way to show respect to game developers who have spent years developing the video games you love, and don't want their hard work ruined by a hackers dribbling it out on the internet.